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

2. How did Lessing feel about World War II at that time?

3. What was the black population of Salisbury?

4. How does Lessing describe Frank Cooper's views on the world?

5. Which of the following was NOT a language commonly spoken in the Lessing home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Lessing's relationship with Ivy.

2. Describe the feeling that Lessing had before she left Frank.

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

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

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

6. 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?

7. Describe Lessing's entrance into love and romance as she describes it in Chapter 10.

8. In Chapter 11, who was Dorothy Schwartz?

9. Ultimately, why did Lessing think that she and Gottfried were mismatched?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

World Wars I and II played a significant role in Lessing's autobiography. Analyze the way in which she grappled with the Wars as historical events; and the repercussions that Europe and the rest of the world faced as a result of those conflicts. How did Lessing portray those effects in the autobiography? How did the Wars differ from other conflicts before them? What was Lessing's opinion regarding those Wars in particular; and the practice of war in general? What reasons did she give for her views on war?

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

At the same time that Lessing wrote her autobiography, she critically engaged with the strengths and limitations of the form by recounting a valuable form of truth. Explore Lessing's commentary on the autobiography as a genre. What did she believe to be the value in writing her autobiography? What did Lessing perceive to be its limitation? How did exploring Lessing's perspective on the genre that she was using, illuminate the value of the text that resulted from that questioning? What did she ultimately offer her readers with regard to objectivity, subjectivity, or truth? How much more did you know about Lessing herself at the end of her work?

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