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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 the narrator say the West Indian term "buttards" means (92)?

2. What does the narrator compare the mens' appetites for women to?

3. What is Syl's constant cross-kissing meant to show about him?

4. How does Jean surprise Gallows when he runs into her near the park where she is looking for clients?

5. Which of the friends sees Harry as he is being led away by the two men?

Short Essay Questions

1. What about the timing of the mens' plan to buy a house makes the narrator think they were never serious to begin with?

2. What two opposing forces pull at Charlie Victor during the excursion to Hamdon Court?

3. How does Harry react when he learns what Jean does for a living?

4. What function do the historical details offered during the Hamdon Court excursion serve?

5. What does Syl spend most of his free time doing in the summer, and why does it seem to be a wasted effort?

6. Describe the crowd's behavior on the bus on the way to Hamdon Court.

7. How did Nobby end up with a dog?

8. What does Teena expect from Fitz during the excursion, and how does he get out of doing what she asks?

9. When, outside the final hotel, Gallows asks whether Syl got Pat an Indian curry, what is he referring to, and what is Syl's reply?

10. What details does the narrator give about the excursion crowd's clothing and the things they are carrying, and what do these details imply?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do some research on portrayals of West Indians in the literature and culture of Britain prior to the 1970's. Write an essay that places The Housing Lark within this context, making and defending a claim about whether or not The Housing Lark functions as an act of opposition to the dominant culture in this time and place. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes what The Housing Lark conveys about the importance of belonging. Consider the situations of Gallows, Syl, Poor, and Charlie Victor. How does Syl's ethnic background make his "belonging" more tenuous, and what impacts does this have on him? What is it that isolates Gallows, and how does he work toward becoming more integrated with his friend group? How do Poor's and Charlie Victor's actions and beliefs isolate them, and what are the emotional consequences? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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