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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 Sam Malakite say to Nathaniel when he tells Malakite he was shy in his youth?

2. What program does Marsh Felon host on BBC Radio?

3. Who drives Rose back to London after her parents' funeral?

4. What name is Marsh Felon sometimes known by?

5. Who taught Nathaniel how to pick the locks of filing cabinets in his youth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is one of the first people from his youth Nathaniel runs into when he starts work at the archives in the section titled "In the Archives"?

2. What kind of work does Marsh Felon do besides his work for the British Intelligence Service?

3. What was Nathaniel's relationship with Mr. Sam Malakite like when Nathaniel was a teenager?

4. Who does Nathaniel most wish to find a way to track down from what he discovers in the archives?

5. How is Rose Williams' death noted in the press?

6. How do others in the British Intelligence Service seem to view Marsh Felon?

7. What does Nathaniel eventually learn about the exact way in which his mother died?

8. Why does Marsh Felon have to spend several weeks in Rose's family house as an adolescent?

9. What does Nathaniel find between the pages of a book in his mother's house that intrigues him?

10. What does Sam Malakite do for Nathaniel at Rose's funeral?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In several instances in the novel, Ondaatje uses foreshadowing for dramatic effect. For example, on page 115, he writes, "You take your adult life with you. It is not to be a reliving, but a rewitnessing. Unless of course you wish, like my sister, to damn and enact revenge on the whole pack of them." Write an essay analyzing one or two other examples in which Ondaatje uses foreshadowing to sustain readers' attention and build suspense.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing Ondaatje's decision to leave Nathaniel's father, Mr. Williams, as such a vague character. How do you think the author's choice in this regard affects the reader's understanding of Nathaniel's family's dynamic?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring how Ondaatje uses Nathaniel's experiences at The Criterion and at the restaurant in World's End to help the reader understand his maturation as a young adult, and to offer glimpses into what kind of an adult he may become.

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This section contains 756 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample