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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 12, what did Lessing do to calm down John?

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

3. Why did Lessing's mother rush from the farm to her home?

4. With whom did Lessing talk at the Meikles Hotel Lounge?

5. Who is the central character of Lessing's "The Good Terrorist"- a book that Lessing references in this chapter?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lessing respond to increasing unhappiness with her marital and home situation?

2. Describe Lessing's ultimate assessment of the impact of the Communist Party in Southern Rhodesian politics.

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

4. How did Lessing describe Kurt in Chapter 16?

5. How did John react to the birth of his little sister?

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

7. In Chapter 11, who was Dorothy Schwartz?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Examine the way in which Lessing presented her relationship with her mother. Did she respect or resent her mother? What strained their relationship? Why did Lessing's mother disapprove of Lessing's choices? Ultimately, how did Lessing reflect on her relationship with her mother?

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