View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What remained unaffected by the Lessings' existence for 20 years?
(a) The bush.
(b) The trees.
(c) The natives.
(d) The wildcats.

2. Where was Doris Lessing born?
(a) Glasgow, Scotland.
(b) London, England.
(c) Kermanshah, Persia.
(d) Southern Rhodesia.

3. What made Lessing and her brother weep at the end of Chapter 5?
(a) Their father died.
(b) Their mother died.
(c) Their servants were fired for stealing.
(d) Their mother shaved her head.

4. Which of the following drugs does Lessing admit to having taken once?
(a) Mescalin.
(b) Marijuana.
(c) Heroin.
(d) Cocaine.

5. What did Biddy O'Halloran's skin resemble?
(a) Red jelly and cream.
(b) Bronze.
(c) Peaches and cream.
(d) Olives.

6. Who stated that children should play in mud?
(a) Montessori.
(b) Mrs. Scott.
(c) Lessing's father.
(d) Lessing's mother.

7. In which book did Lessing write about Mr. Whitehead?
(a) In African Laughter.
(b) In Pursuit of the English.
(c) In Going Home.
(d) In Time Bites.

8. According to the quote at the opening of Chapter 1, the girl in Lessing's mother's favorite saying only cared about which of the following?
(a) Cats and flowers.
(b) Books and studying.
(c) Horses and dancing.
(d) Singing and prancing.

9. Which of the following historic examples does Lessing use to support her claims about human nature?
(a) The Reformation.
(b) The Renaissance.
(c) The Holocaust.
(d) The Crusades.

10. What social development occurred during Lessing's stay at the Convent which, much to the chagrin of the nuns, parents supported?
(a) Modernized womens' fashions.
(b) Cigarette smoking.
(c) Social equality for women.
(d) The Talkies.

11. What event in Lessing's childhood does she describe as having left her inconsolable?
(a) The beginning of war.
(b) The first day of school.
(c) The move to Africa.
(d) The death of her cat.

12. Where did Lessing's family live before they found property?
(a) In Kent.
(b) In London.
(c) In Johannesburg.
(d) In Lilfordia.

13. Which of the following song for children made Lessing's mother cry?
(a) "Ring Around the Rosie".
(b) "Humpty-Dumpty".
(c) "Baa Baa, Black Sheep".
(d) "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

14. What type of animals frequently made their way into the Tayler house?
(a) Lizards.
(b) Cats.
(c) Snakes.
(d) Beetles.

15. With whom did Lessing board as a child?
(a) Mrs. James.
(b) Mrs. Scott.
(c) Mrs. Mitchell.
(d) Mary Peach.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Lessing's name for her outward personality?

2. Which of the following does Lessing state as signifying the end of any war?

3. In Chapter 3, which of the following does Lessing describe as her first memory?

4. What did Lessing's father think of his Persian business partners?

5. What was the name of Lessing's nanny?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 439 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample