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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 3, which of the following does Lessing describe as her first memory?

2. What event in Lessing's childhood does she describe as having left her inconsolable?

3. Which of the following organizations asked Lessing to write a play in the 1950's?

4. How many biographers were writing about Lessing at the time that she wrote the book?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the circumstances that led to Alfred's depression.

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

3. According to Lessing's memory, how did she learn to interact with people around her?

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

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

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

7. How did Lessing become an atheist?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

History plays a key role in forming the text of the autobiography. Examine the ways in which Lessing relied on, recounted, or challenged history in the text. How central was history in Lessing's understanding of her own life? How essential was Lessing's life in her understanding of history? Were those two elements inextricably linked? What did Lessing's autobiography contribute to your understanding of history, understanding of historical events, or the way in which history is recorded?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the way in which Lessing discussed children and childhood in her autobiography. Children appeared throughout the work, as Lessing explored her own childhood, as well as the children who she had with her various partners. How did she present childhood in the text? How did Lessing feel that children should be treated? How did she treat them in her portrayal of them? How did having children affect Lessing's life?

Essay Topic 3

Gender emerges in the autobiography as a determining factor in Lessing's life that influences her behavior and reception as a young woman within her community. Discuss the way in which Lessing portrayed the effect of gender roles on her growing identity. How did Lessing's mother model femininity? How did Lessing act out against or comply with that model of female behavior? How did she seem to define herself as a woman?

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