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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. Where did Frank and Lessing go on their honeymoon?

3. Where did Kurt claim his real education occurred?

4. In Chapter 9, which year does Lessing describe as a "make or break" year in her life?

5. What affliction struck all members of Lessing's family except her?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 11, who was Dorothy Schwartz?

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

3. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Describe the letter Lessing received from her mother in Chapter 9.

10. Describe Lessing's relationship with Ivy.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As Lessing recounted the details of her young adult life, she commented on the institution of marriage through a discussion of her three unsuccessful unions. Examine Lessing's position on marriage and divorce in the text. Was her notion of marriage and divorce congruent with the notion of marriage and/or divorce at that time? If not, how did her opinion vary? What were her messages regarding marriage and divorce customs in the British Empire at that time?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Lessing's perspective on social and political activism. How did Lessing connect theory and praxis? Were the people whom she associated with isolated intellectuals or were they activists for a particular cause? How did Lessing portray activist causes throughout her autobiography? What did she advocate?

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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