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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Bentley believe is the inspiration for the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Gabor?
(a) Wedekind's parents.
(b) The prime minister and his wife.
(c) The parents of Wedekind's girlfriend.
(d) Wedekind's siblings.

2. What did people find so offensive about A Children's Tragedy when it was first written?
(a) The sexual content.
(b) Wedekind's sexuality.
(c) The criticism of Germany's role in Hitler's rise to power.
(d) Wedekind's political alliances.

3. Why is Moritz concerned about another boy's standing in his class?
(a) He is afraid that the boy will follow his lead in considering suicide.
(b) He is afraid that the boy will run away if he is not promoted.
(c) He is competing with that student for the last seat in next year's class.
(d) He is afraid that the boy will blame Moritz if he is not promoted.

4. What does Wendla claim about the thoughts her mother finds offensive in the first scene?
(a) She says she hears the girls at school expressing similar thoughts.
(b) She says that she overhears her mother expressing these thoughts.
(c) She says they come to her at night.
(d) She says her sister tells her these thoughts.

5. What is Thanatos according to Bentley?
(a) A drive towards life.
(b) Romantic love.
(c) Driving towards death.
(d) Sexual love.

6. According to the summary, who is raped in A Children's Tragedy?
(a) Moritz.
(b) Wendla.
(c) Thea.
(d) Melchior.

7. What form does the play evolve into?
(a) Absurdism.
(b) Expressionism.
(c) Experimental.
(d) Realism.

8. What does Mrs. Bergmann wonder about Wendla in the first scene?
(a) She wonders what Wendla will look like in a few years.
(b) She wonders what sort of mother Wendla will make.
(c) She wonders if Wendla will survive her adolescence.
(d) She wonders if Wendla is aware of her changing body.

9. In what decade did Wedekind write A Children's Tragedy?
(a) 1880s.
(b) 1890s.
(c) 1900s.
(d) 1870s.

10. What is Wendla's mother doing to her daughter's dress in the beginning of the play?
(a) Hemming a too-long dress.
(b) Sewing a new one.
(c) Letting down the hem of a short dress.
(d) Repairing a torn sleeve.

11. How does Moritz feel about his dreams?
(a) He does not understand them.
(b) He looks forward to them.
(c) He fears they are evil dreams.
(d) He believes they are messages from God.

12. What birthday is being celebrated for Wendla in Act I, Scene 1?
(a) Fifteen.
(b) Thirteen.
(c) Twelve.
(d) Fourteen.

13. What does Wendla ask of Melchior at the end of Act 1?
(a) She asks him to beat her.
(b) She asks him to run away to Berlin with her.
(c) She asks him to make love to her.
(d) She asks him if he would want to marry her one day.

14. How wide is Moritz's knowledge of maturation?
(a) He has read a book with a sex scene.
(b) He knows more about sex than the rest of his class.
(c) He has already had sex.
(d) He is completely ignorant.

15. According to the masked man, what is morality?
(a) A mixture of what people think should be done and what they want to do.
(b) A fallacy of "doing good."
(c) A made-up concept to keep people in line.
(d) What the government says should be done.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the most sexual scene of the play, what is alluded to heavily?

2. What fantasy does Wendla admit to having to Melchior?

3. In the brief summary given in the introduction, what concept is Melchior struggling with?

4. What do Melchior and Moritz talk about when they are alone in Act 1, Scene 2?

5. What is interesting about realism and expressionism in regards to this play?

(see the answer keys)

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