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

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

3. What do Lessing's parents do in preparation for their next voyage?
(a) They saved money scrupulously.
(b) They drew up a legal will.
(c) They had their teeth removed.
(d) They studied French.

4. Which of the following organizations asked Lessing to write a play in the 1950's?
(a) The BBC.
(b) The Shakespeare Theater Company.
(c) The Liverpool Theater Company.
(d) The Royal Theater Company.

5. Which of the following names does Lessing give the personality that would comes out of her while under the influence of drugs?
(a) The Recluse.
(b) The Cynic.
(c) The Guide.
(d) The Hostess.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

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

3. What did Lessing's parents think of the Whiteheads when they first met them?

4. 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?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Lessing's parents plan to acquire land in Southern Rhodesia?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. In Chapter 6, what was Lessing's mother's primary concern about the children?

(see the answer keys)

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