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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. When Nobby says that his motto is not to interfere in another man's business, what question is he responding to?

2. Which of Bat's friends hopes to live in the basement of the house they are planning to buy?

3. After Harry moves in, how does Bat's attitude about the apartment change?

4. Why is Battersby thinking about money while he makes his morning tea?

5. When Battersby is daydreaming in the novel's opening, what kind of woman does he wish for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Other than the money, what do the things that Battersby imagines the genie bringing him all have in common with one another, and what does this demonstrate about Battersby himself?

2. Describe Battersby's apartment.

3. What is ironic about the difference between the food Battersby imagines on page 2 and the food he genuinely likes?

4. What is ironic about the story of Fitz's marriage?

5. How does Harry end up holding onto Poor's pack of cigarettes for him?

6. When Jean and Harry go out into the hallway to fix the fuse, what do they discuss?

7. What does Battersby mean when he tells Alfonso that the weather forecaster is talking about "depression and high pressure" and that these are "things the boys know about" (4)?

8. How does the sentence "I mean, you think it have a lot of obeah and black magic in the West Indies, but if you listen to some of these Nordics" illustrate the unusual aspects of this book's narrative voice?

9. Why does the narrator say that weather forecasters should be "diplomats" (4)?

10. According to the narrator, what are Alfy's, Nobby's, and Syl's real thoughts about buying the house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is The Housing Lark itself potentially an example of using humor as a defense against pain? Consider how the characters use humor as a deflecting device and defense mechanism. Then, do some research into Sam Selvon's background and his other works. What evidence do you find that suggests whether or not Sam Selvon's writing of The Housing Lark as a comedy is similar to his characters' use of comedy? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Most of The Housing Lark is set in Brixton, but one important section of the novel takes place in Hampton Court, in Richmond upon Thames. Why remove some of the novel's action to this specific place? Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the significance of setting in this passage. Consider the place's history and its cultural significance to the English as well as its juxtaposition with the carnivalesque excursion and the interpretation of the place by the book's characters. Consider why it is referred to as "Hamdon Court" throughout the text--including by the narrator. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

What are the various functions of the West Indian vernacular language used in The Housing Lark? Why does it matter that this is the dialect used by the narrator? How does this dialect contribute to meaning and tone? Write an essay that takes and defends a position on these issues. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

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