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

2. When did Lessing and Frank decide to have another child?

3. What was the highest ambition of Black workers in Salisbury?

4. In Chapter 13, who did Lessing encounter in the street?

5. How does Lessing describe the letters that she received from her mother?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What became of the three husbands who enlisted to fight Hitler?

3. What did Lessing realize when she was diagnosed with Low Fever and sent to the mountains to recover?

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

5. What did Lessing believe to be the true cause of her father's death?

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

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

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

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

10. How did Lessing support herself when she no longer lived with her parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

In this section of the autobiography, Lessing detailed her progression to sexual awakening and maturity. Analyze Lessing's developing notions on sexuality in that section of her life story. How did she view sexuality? How did her views differ from the majority of those in her community? How did Lessing derive those notions of sexuality? Provide details from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Born during the final days of the British Empire, Doris Lessing presents a unique take on the Empire and imperial policy. Discuss Lessing's developing views on the Empire. Explore themes such as the ethics of the Empire, the financial ramifications of the Empire, and the social changes that she discusses after the fall of the Empire. What does her overall message regarding British imperialism appear to be? Support your answers with evidence from the autobiography.

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