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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. What development in young John's life took very little effort from Lessing?

2. When did Gottfried Lessing arrive in Southern Rhodesia?

3. In Chapter 10, which of the following countries was Lessing thinking about as she stood at the edge of the tobacco field?

4. Where did Kurt claim his real education occurred?

5. Which activity did Lessing both love and hate?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 13, how did Lessing rationalize her decision to leave Frank and their two children?

2. 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?

3. Describe Lessing's activities in Capetown in Chapter 17.

4. In Chapter 15, what reason did Lessing give for switching law firms?

5. Describe Lessing's decision to marry Frank Wisdom.

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

7. In Chapter 19, what does Lessing describe as the smartest decision that she ever made?

8. When John was 9 months old, what did Lessing and Frank decide to do?

9. Describe Lessing's reaction to the end of World War II.

10. Describe Lessing's relationship with Ivy.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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