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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 historical event happened just before the birth of Lessing's daughter?
(a) The outbreak of WWII.
(b) The detente.
(c) The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
(d) The Atlantic Charter.

2. Who vouched for Gottfried Lessing to get him out of jail?
(a) Doris Lessing.
(b) Howe-Ely.
(c) Frank Wisdom.
(d) Margaret Morgan.

3. How does Lessing describe the letters that she received from her mother?
(a) Frantic.
(b) Refreshing.
(c) Furious.
(d) Docile.

4. How old was Jean in the scene that Lessing describes in this chapter?
(a) 15 months.
(b) 5 years.
(c) 15 weeks.
(d) 5 days.

5. What did Lessing notice about the workers at the Guardian?
(a) Lessing noticed that whites worked alongside "Indians and Coloured people".
(b) Lessing noticed that there were many women working in important positions.
(c) Lessing noticed that all classes of people were employed there.
(d) Lessing noticed that very few people ran the operation.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did the daughters of the mothers of the1960's view sex?

2. What kind of dress was Lessing wearing in the scene that she describes?

3. Why did Lessing begin to eat less during meals?

4. Who did Lessing work for at this point in her life?

5. In Chapter 9, which year does Lessing describe as a "make or break" year in her life?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the feeling that Lessing had before she left Frank.

2. How did John react to the birth of his little sister?

3. Why did Lessing direct her focus on the Communist ideas that she was developing in this chapter instead of focusing on the events of her life?

4. In Chapter 11, who was Dorothy Schwartz?

5. In Chapter 12, how does Lessing describe her first son, John?

6. Describe the letter Lessing received from her mother in Chapter 9.

7. How did Lessing describe Kurt in Chapter 16?

8. How did Lessing respond to increasing unhappiness with her marital and home situation?

9. In Chapter 18, what circumstances prevented Lessing from getting much writing done?

10. What rationale did Lessing give for her marriage to Gottfried Lessing in Chapter 14?

(see the answer keys)

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