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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. On the summer night when everyone gathers at Bat's apartment, how does Bat prepare for their visit?

2. Who are the two men that wait for Harry outside the phone booth?

3. In Westbourne Grove, when Pat refuses to let Syl touch her, what does Syl threaten to do?

4. After Nobby gets rid of his dog, what does he tell his landlady happened to it?

5. Who is the first of the friends to ask Bat for his money back?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence is there that Gallows understands Bat's intentions during the search for the hotel?

2. What details does the narrator give about the excursion crowd's clothing and the things they are carrying, and what do these details imply?

3. Who are the Legion of Mary sisters, and what do they want from Jean?

4. Describe the crowd's behavior on the bus on the way to Hamdon Court.

5. What function do the historical details offered during the Hamdon Court excursion serve?

6. When they are talking near the park, what truths does Jean reveal to Harry about Bat and his friends?

7. What two opposing forces pull at Charlie Victor during the excursion to Hamdon Court?

8. How did Nobby end up with a dog?

9. What details does the narrator give that demonstrate how eager people are to go on the excursion?

10. What about the timing of the mens' plan to buy a house makes the narrator think they were never serious to begin with?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that analyzes what The Housing Lark conveys about the importance of belonging. Consider the situations of Gallows, Syl, Poor, and Charlie Victor. How does Syl's ethnic background make his "belonging" more tenuous, and what impacts does this have on him? What is it that isolates Gallows, and how does he work toward becoming more integrated with his friend group? How do Poor's and Charlie Victor's actions and beliefs isolate them, and what are the emotional consequences? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes Battersby's character. How is his characterization established? Is he a flat or round character? Static or dynamic? Ultimately, what purpose does his character serve in supporting the novel's theme? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

We have already discussed how the narrator's attitudes toward gender do and do not overlap with those of the characters. But what about the author's perspective? Write an essay that takes and defends a position on the degree to which Sam Selvon's perspective on gender overlaps with that of the narrator of The Housing Lark. You may choose to use biographical information on Selvon as part of your defense of your position, but the majority of your evidence should be drawn from the text of The Housing Lark itself. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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