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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. Which of the following illnesses did Lessing's family battle?

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

3. How much capital did Lessing's father take to Southern Rhodesia?

4. In which book did Lessing write about Mr. Whitehead?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Describe Lessing's outlook on the future of the world and human society.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the role of education in Lessing's writings. How was Lessing educated? How did her education affect her views on class, politics, and gender? What was Lessing's opinion of education as an institution? How did she support her opinion of education throughout her autobiography?

Essay Topic 2

As a child, Lessing grew up in Persia and Southern Rhodesia - regions that were both part of the British Commonwealth. Examine the way in which Lessing discussed life as an English citizen living in the Commonwealth. What were the conditions of their lives as English citizens? How did the lives of the English differ from the lives of the indigenous peoples? How did Lessing treat those conditions and differences?

Essay Topic 3

In a memoir that spans three continents over the course of the author's life, space and place become particularly significant to the story and to Lessing's overall commentary. Examine the way in which she treats various spaces and places in the text. What themes, messages, or ideas does Lessing develop through her treatment of spaces and places? How does she portray those spaces and places? Be sure to consider limited spaces such as the various houses that Lessing recalls, and places as broad as the countries she lived in, to the various cities or communities where she resided.

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