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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 word did Kurt ask Esther not to use?

2. What was the primary battle between Lessing and her mother centered upon?

3. Why did Lessing's mother rush from the farm to her home?

4. What was the highest ambition of Black workers in Salisbury?

5. Which of the following phenomenons did Frank and Lessing consistently criticize?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lessing respond to increasing unhappiness with her marital and home situation?

2. How did Lessing describe Kurt in Chapter 16?

3. Describe Lessing's ultimate assessment of the impact of the Communist Party in Southern Rhodesian politics.

4. What did Lessing believe to be the true cause of her father's death?

5. What became of the three husbands who enlisted to fight Hitler?

6. Describe Lessing's activities in Capetown in Chapter 17.

7. How did John react to the birth of his little sister?

8. Describe the feeling that Lessing had before she left Frank.

9. What conditions did Lessing ponder as possible circumstances that would have changed her views on Communism?

10. Describe the beginning of Lessing's relationship with Gottfried.

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

Analyze the way in which Lessing discussed children and childhood in her autobiography. Children appeared throughout the work, as Lessing explored her own childhood, as well as the children who she had with her various partners. How did she present childhood in the text? How did Lessing feel that children should be treated? How did she treat them in her portrayal of them? How did having children affect Lessing's life?

Essay Topic 3

As Lessing recounted the details of her young adult life, she commented on the institution of marriage through a discussion of her three unsuccessful unions. Examine Lessing's position on marriage and divorce in the text. Was her notion of marriage and divorce congruent with the notion of marriage and/or divorce at that time? If not, how did her opinion vary? What were her messages regarding marriage and divorce customs in the British Empire at that time?

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