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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. Where did Lessing's father work after he was discharged from the Army?
(a) A small farm in Rhodesia.
(b) National Hospital of England.
(c) The Scotland Yard.
(d) Imperial Bank of Persia.

2. What was the name of Lessing's nanny?
(a) Biddy.
(b) Betty.
(c) Betsy.
(d) Beth.

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

4. What did Lessing's parents think of the Whiteheads when they first met them?
(a) That they should return to England.
(b) That they would be useful in developing relationships.
(c) That they could betray them at any time.
(d) That they were shifty and unsatisfactory.

5. 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) Books and studying.
(b) Horses and dancing.
(c) Cats and flowers.
(d) Singing and prancing.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Lessing not like the clothes that her mother had made for her?

2. Why did Lessing's father miss the Battle of the Somme?

3. Which of the following song for children made Lessing's mother cry?

4. Where was Doris Lessing born?

5. How did the author feel about her childhood?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. How did Lessing avoid dealing with her conflicts with her mother?

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

9. How did Lessing become an atheist?

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

(see the answer keys)

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