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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. To which of the following religions did Lessing suddenly convert?
(a) Christianity.
(b) Judaism.
(c) Roman Catholicism.
(d) Anglicanism.

2. What kind of food were the children fed at the convent that Lessing stayed in as a child?
(a) German peasant food.
(b) English peasant food.
(c) Traditional Rhodesian food.
(d) French peasant food.

3. How much capital did Lessing's father take to Southern Rhodesia?
(a) £ 100.
(b) £ 1,000.
(c) £ 10,000.
(d) £ 2,500.

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

5. According to Lessing, above all, what does history tell us?
(a) That happiness is fleeting.
(b) That mankind is not peaceful by nature.
(c) That circumstances dictate the person.
(d) That nothing is permanent.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What did the doctor prescribe to alleviate Lessing's mother's ailment?

3. Which of the following drugs does Lessing admit to having taken once?

4. How old was Lessing when she wrote "The Treasure Trunk"?

5. What do Lessing's parents do in preparation for their next voyage?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter 3, what type of child abuse does Lessing describe?

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

4. Describe Lessing's father's medical condition in this chapter.

5. What advantage does Lessing that claim she has in writing her autobiography late in her life?

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

7. In Chapter 7, what did Lessing and her brother do in the bush?

8. According to Lessing in Chapter 2, what is the role of truth in autobiographical writing?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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