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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 treat did the owner of the press cook over an open flame for himself and Gerald?

2. What kind of trees lined the path to Countess Mavrodaki's villa?

3. What did the gypsy encourage Gerald to do with Pavlo?

4. What had Mrs. Haddock, channeling Mawake, told Margo to do about her health problems?

5. Why was Gerald excited to receive the Countess's invitation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was the Countess Mavrodaki? Why did she contact Gerald? What was Larry's reaction to her letter to Gerald?

2. What did Gerald observe about the women and the machinery of pressing olives?

3. Why did Gerald and Mother go to London? What did they find when they got there?

4. Who did Gerald entrust to care for his baby hedgehogs while he was gone for the weekend with his mother? What condition were they in when he returned?

5. Who was Papa Demetrios? How did Gerald and Papa Demetrios know each other? What story did he tell Gerald about a fellow villager, Andreas Papoyakis?

6. What unusual method did Donald and Max have for leaving the villa on the night of their visit? What happened as they left?

7. What happened to Mother, Larry and the rest of the crew on the yacht ride with Mother? How did Mother react to the event? What was in the letter Captain Creech sent Mother after his departure and how did Mother respond to it?

8. What misadventure did Gerald have on his way to meet Countess Mavrodaki? How did he feel when he arrived at her house? What was her response to his misadventure on the way over?

9. When Margo, Mother, Fan and Prue took the dogs with them shopping, what happened?

10. What did Gerald do with his owl when he got home? What name did he give his owl? Where did he place the owl once he had tended to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the memoir, Gerald Durrell uses the five senses to enhance his detailed descriptions of life on Corfu. Discuss the use of this device as a means of description in the memoir. Include examples of some of the senses that Gerald depends on in his life in nature.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the importance of the chapter "Interlude for Spirits" to the memoir. Why did the author choose this title for the chapter? How does this chapter fit in with the rest of the memoir? Which characters are in the spotlight in this chapter and why?

Essay Topic 3

There are many important scenes in the memoir in which the whole family reacts to something Gerald has done. One is the family's reaction to Pavlo. Another is the description of the turtle on the veranda. By their reactions, the family provides us with important parts of their personalities. Compare and contrast these two important examples of the family reacting to something Gerald has done, and discuss what we learn about the people involved.

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