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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 does Nathaniel's sister show him that casts doubt on their mother's whereabouts in the section titled "Hell-Fire"?

2. What is The Moth's real name?

3. What company does Nathaniel's father work for?

4. How long after Rose's death is Nathaniel invited to apply for work at the Foreign Office?

5. Where does Rachel go immediately after the attack at the Bark Theater?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do The Darter and Olive Lawrence eat that is quite unusual on their first dinner date, and why does Olive agree to eat it?

2. What does Nathaniel get in trouble for, that generations of boys before him have also done, at his boarding school in Chapter 1?

3. Why does Nathaniel come to know Agnes as Agnes?

4. Who helps Nathaniel and Rachel during Rachel's first episode with epilepsy, and what does that person do?

5. What story does Nathaniel's mother tell her children about the family of roofers who worked on her childhood home?

6. Why is Rachel so upset at the end of Part I of the book, as she and Nathaniel are whisked away from the Bark Theater?

7. How is Arthur McCash different from other guests who had cycled through Ruvigny Gardens?

8. What does Nathaniel's and Rachel's brief time alone with their mother just before she leaves for Singapore feel like for Nathaniel?

9. How does Nathaniel describe Olive Lawrence's personality?

10. Why do Nathaniel and Rachel refer to Walter as The Moth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Nathaniel's work at Britain's classified archives affect his perception of both his country's and his mother's work during and after WWII? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Through Nathaniel's first-person narration, Ondaatje writes, "Ours was a family with a habit for nicknames, which meant it was also a family of disguises" (7). Write an essay analyzing the connections between the use of nicknames, secrecy, and concealment in Warlight.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Rose is reluctant to tell Nathaniel much about her time working for British Intelligence during and after the war, even long after the war's end when Nathaniel is a young adult? Rose will reveal small pieces of information about hers and others' work, as on page 166, when she tells him Olive Lawrence was more than just an ethnographer, but she stops short of giving much detailed information. Write an essay exploring this topic, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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