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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At what age did Emily McVeagh die?
(a) 23.
(b) 42.
(c) 32.
(d) 35.

2. Which of the following books did Lessing use to illustrate the difference in transitioning from the consciousness of a child to that of an adult?
(a) Pride and Prejudice.
(b) Hamlet.
(c) Tristram Shandy.
(d) The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

3. Which of the following illnesses did Lessing's family battle?
(a) Gout.
(b) Malaria.
(c) Influenza.
(d) Small Pox.

4. Which of the following does Lessing state as signifying the end of any war?
(a) Total victory.
(b) Military defeat.
(c) Armistice.
(d) Negotiations.

5. Which of the following did Lessing delight in telling the other children at the school?
(a) That a lie was worse than being naughty.
(b) That being naughty was more fun than behaving.
(c) That lying would make their face stick in a horrible position.
(d) That being naughty was much worse than lying.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long before this book was written did Europeans arrive in Southern Rhodesia?

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

3. How many trek oxen hauled the wagon carrying Lessing's family?

4. How many family members went to visit Lessing's house in Persia?

5. Why did Lessing learn to drive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sensation predominated Lessing's childhood?

2. In Chapter 8, how did the girls at the school avoid exams?

3. What did Lessing suspect was the root of her mother's illness?

4. In Chapter 4, what prompted the Tayler family to move to Africa?

5. In your opinion, why does Lessing trace her lineage in the opening chapter?

6. Quoting a recent historian, to what major event does Lessing attribute current feelings of mistrust toward the government?

7. Describe the conflict between Lessing's parents regarding the servants.

8. After tracing the history of her parents' lives, what does Lessing ponder?

9. While their mother was bedridden, what did Lessing and her brother do?

10. According to Lessing's memory, how did she learn to interact with people around her?

(see the answer keys)

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