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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 long before this book was written did Europeans arrive in Southern Rhodesia?

2. According to the quote at the opening of Chapter 1, the girl in Lessing's mother's favorite saying only cared about which of the following?

3. What was the name of Lessing's nanny?

4. According to Lessing, above all, what does history tell us?

5. What did the doctor prescribe to alleviate Lessing's mother's ailment?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 3, what type of child abuse does Lessing describe?

2. In Chapter 8, how did the girls at the school avoid exams?

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

4. How does Lessing describe her childhood vulnerability?

5. What advantage does Lessing that claim she has in writing her autobiography late in her life?

6. Describe Lessing's outlook on the future of the world and human society.

7. In Chapter 4, what prompted the Tayler family to move to Africa?

8. What sensation predominated Lessing's childhood?

9. Describe the English views of themselves and their relation to other people as Lessing portrays it in this chapter.

10. Why did Lessing's parents have all their teeth removed before leaving for Africa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gender emerges in the autobiography as a determining factor in Lessing's life that influences her behavior and reception as a young woman within her community. Discuss the way in which Lessing portrayed the effect of gender roles on her growing identity. How did Lessing's mother model femininity? How did Lessing act out against or comply with that model of female behavior? How did she seem to define herself as a woman?

Essay Topic 2

After her experiences of living in Persia and Southern Rhodesia, Lessing formulated an opinion on "The Native Problem" - the dilemma that the English settlers in various Commonwealth holdings experienced in interacting with the people whose lands they occupied. Discuss Lessing's position on "The Native Problem". How did Lessing feel about that particular issue? How did her opinion compare to the opinions of her contemporaries? What was the underlying reasoning for her beliefs? Was she justified in her opinion?

Essay Topic 3

During her young adult years, Lessing becomes affiliated with the Communist Party of Southern Rhodesia - at the time, considered a very political party for a young British woman to join. Discuss Lessing's initial feelings regarding the Communist Party, as well as the changes that occurred to that opinion during the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. What was Lessing's political stance at the time of her autobiography? How does she comment on the ideals and implementation of Socialism or Communism? How would instituting a Communist government in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) have been different than instituting a Communist government in Europe?

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