The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
- 1. The English Patient, a sweeping and lyrical novel by Michael Ondaatje, intricately weaves together the lives of four disparate characters in an Italian villa during the aftermath of World War II. At the center of the narrative is a nameless and severely burned English man, referred to only as the English patient, whose enigmatic past as a passionate lover and airman unfurls through haunting memories and fragmented recollections. Surrounding him are Hana, a compassionate Canadian nurse tending to his wounds, who grapples with the traumas of war; Kip, a Sikh sapper defusing bombs who navigates his own precarious identity and cultural heritage; and Madox, a disillusioned thief who provides insight into the destructiveness of war and colonialism. Ondaatje's prose is both lush and poetic, exploring themes of love, loss, and the scars left by conflict, while highlighting the power of memory and storytelling as forms of healing. The novel eloquently juxtaposes the intimate personal struggles of its characters against the broader historical canvas of a world ravaged by violence, ultimately revealing how the legacies of war etch themselves into the fabric of human connections and identities.
Who is the English patient?
A) Hana
B) Madox
C) Kip
D) Count Laszlo de Almásy
- 2. What is Hana's profession?
A) Teacher
B) Soldier
C) Nurse
D) Doctor
- 3. Which war serves as the backdrop for the novel?
A) World War II
B) Vietnam War
C) Korean War
D) World War I
- 4. Who was the English patient's lover?
A) Katharine Clifton
B) Madox
C) Hana
D) Suzanne
- 5. What does Almásy do for a living before the war?
A) Journalist
B) Pilot
C) Soldier
D) Explorer
- 6. What nationality is the English patient?
A) Italian
B) American
C) Hungarian
D) British
- 7. What does the English patient remember most about his time with Katharine?
A) Their love affair
B) His childhood
C) His adventures in war
D) His explorations
- 8. What event does Almásy reflect on throughout the novel?
A) His explorative journeys
B) His time in the desert with Katharine
C) His military service
D) His childhood in Europe
- 9. What nationality is Kip?
A) Afghan
B) Indian
C) Pakistani
D) Nepalese
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