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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. Which of the following areas was the homeland of Lessing's mother's doctor?
(a) Johannesburg.
(b) Zimbabwe.
(c) Sinoia.
(d) Persia.

2. How many family members went to visit Lessing's house in Persia?
(a) Four.
(b) Three.
(c) Two.
(d) Six.

3. To which of the following does Lessing compare writers?
(a) Ventriloquists, casting a message from afar.
(b) Liars.
(c) Pegs on which to hang ideas.
(d) Archaeologists.

4. How many trek oxen hauled the wagon carrying Lessing's family?
(a) 12.
(b) 18.
(c) 16.
(d) 14.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How many bouts of illness did Lessing's family experience?

2. According to Lessing, above all, what does history tell us?

3. In Chapter 2, what is one thing that Lessing says the writer must have in order to begin to write about his/her life?

4. How did Lessing's mother convey her distaste for Emily McVeagh?

5. Which of the following conditions ailed the author's father?

Short Essay Questions

1. What essential skill did Lessing learn in Chapter 5?

2. What did Lessing do one night when she was forced to remain in the cabin while her parents attended a dance?

3. Describe the English views of themselves and their relation to other people as Lessing portrays it in this chapter.

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

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

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

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

8. From the details Lessing provides in Chapter 1, describe the circumstances which led to Maude's broken heart.

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

10. Why did Lessing's parents have all their teeth removed before leaving for Africa?

(see the answer keys)

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