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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Poor do for a living?

2. What word does Poor use to refer to a marijuana cigarette?

3. What reason does Nobby give for thinking that Harry will not be able to make a success of his singing career?

4. What is Battersby's sister irritated about when she comes downstairs to where Battersby's friends have gathered?

5. What do Harry and Jean agree that Bat and his friends all lack?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the sentence "I mean, you think it have a lot of obeah and black magic in the West Indies, but if you listen to some of these Nordics" illustrate the unusual aspects of this book's narrative voice?

2. What is ironic about the story of Fitz's marriage?

3. What is ironic about the conversation that Alfy, Nobby, and Syl have about Harry's banjo, and what does this conversation reveal about the men?

4. Describe Matilda's conflicting thoughts about Jean's being a sex worker.

5. Describe the talent of Battersby's that the narrator talks about on pages 6 and 7.

6. What does Battersby mean when he tells Alfonso that the weather forecaster is talking about "depression and high pressure" and that these are "things the boys know about" (4)?

7. When Jean and Harry go out into the hallway to fix the fuse, what do they discuss?

8. According to the narrator, what are Alfy's, Nobby's, and Syl's real thoughts about buying the house?

9. How did Gallows come to meet Battersby and his friends?

10. What is the story of how Gallows came to live in London?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most of The Housing Lark is set in Brixton, but one important section of the novel takes place in Hampton Court, in Richmond upon Thames. Why remove some of the novel's action to this specific place? Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the significance of setting in this passage. Consider the place's history and its cultural significance to the English as well as its juxtaposition with the carnivalesque excursion and the interpretation of the place by the book's characters. Consider why it is referred to as "Hamdon Court" throughout the text--including by the narrator. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the following statement: "Harry Banjo's agent is, in effect, the magical genie that Bat has been waiting for throughout The Housing Lark." Be sure that, in taking a position on this idea, your essay considers the implications that this has for the theme of the novel. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

You have already examined the internalized racism that characterizes several people in The Housing Lark. But does the narrator share this internalized racism? Write an essay that takes and defends a clear position on this question. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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