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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. How did the author feel about her childhood?

2. Which of the following was the "chief wrong" that Lessing's mother cited in her diatribe against the Catholic Church?

3. What social development occurred during Lessing's stay at the Convent which, much to the chagrin of the nuns, parents supported?

4. What did Lessing's father think of his Persian business partners?

5. How did Lessing's mother pack differently for her new life in Africa than she did for Persia?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lessing's parents plan to acquire land in Southern Rhodesia?

2. Describe the conflict between Lessing's parents regarding the servants.

3. From the details Lessing provides in Chapter 1, describe the circumstances which led to Maude's broken heart.

4. What essential skill did Lessing learn in Chapter 5?

5. Describe the circumstances that led to Alfred's depression.

6. According to Lessing's memory, how did she learn to interact with people around her?

7. Quoting a recent historian, to what major event does Lessing attribute current feelings of mistrust toward the government?

8. According to Lessing in Chapter 2, what is the role of truth in autobiographical writing?

9. What did Lessing do one night when she was forced to remain in the cabin while her parents attended a dance?

10. How did Lessing become an atheist?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

World Wars I and II played a significant role in Lessing's autobiography. Analyze the way in which she grappled with the Wars as historical events; and the repercussions that Europe and the rest of the world faced as a result of those conflicts. How did Lessing portray those effects in the autobiography? How did the Wars differ from other conflicts before them? What was Lessing's opinion regarding those Wars in particular; and the practice of war in general? What reasons did she give for her views on war?

Essay Topic 2

In a memoir that spans three continents over the course of the author's life, space and place become particularly significant to the story and to Lessing's overall commentary. Examine the way in which she treats various spaces and places in the text. What themes, messages, or ideas does Lessing develop through her treatment of spaces and places? How does she portray those spaces and places? Be sure to consider limited spaces such as the various houses that Lessing recalls, and places as broad as the countries she lived in, to the various cities or communities where she resided.

Essay Topic 3

History plays a key role in forming the text of the autobiography. Examine the ways in which Lessing relied on, recounted, or challenged history in the text. How central was history in Lessing's understanding of her own life? How essential was Lessing's life in her understanding of history? Were those two elements inextricably linked? What did Lessing's autobiography contribute to your understanding of history, understanding of historical events, or the way in which history is recorded?

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