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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. How many trek oxen hauled the wagon carrying Lessing's family?

2. Who stated that children should play in mud?

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

4. Why did Lessing learn to drive?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How did Lessing become an atheist?

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

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

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

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

8. What sensation predominated Lessing's childhood?

9. How does Lessing describe her childhood vulnerability?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Growing up in two distinct regions of the British Empire, Lessing received a very intimate portrait of race relations in the British territories before the dissolution of the Empire. Analyze the way in which Lessing approached race and race relations in her autobiography. How did she define the term, race, among the people living in Persia and Southern Rhodesia at that time? How did the different races interact in Southern Rhodesia? How did Lessing's understanding of race compare or contrast with the opinions of those around her?

Essay Topic 2

After her experiences of living in Persia and Southern Rhodesia, Lessing formulated an opinion on "The Native Problem" - the dilemma that the English settlers in various Commonwealth holdings experienced in interacting with the people whose lands they occupied. Discuss Lessing's position on "The Native Problem". How did Lessing feel about that particular issue? How did her opinion compare to the opinions of her contemporaries? What was the underlying reasoning for her beliefs? Was she justified in her opinion?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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