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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After Martha's punishment for the ribbon, how does she spend the night?
(a) Under her bed.
(b) Outside in the cold.
(c) On the floor in a sack.
(d) In the tree by her window.

2. What theatrical genre is combined with tragedy as part of this play's complexity?
(a) Theater of cruelty.
(b) Comedy.
(c) Absurdism.
(d) Theater of the poor.

3. Why did Martha, after being punished for the ribbon, come back inside?
(a) She was being chased by boys.
(b) She was lonely.
(c) She was naked and it was cold.
(d) She was too clothed for the heat.

4. What does Melchior tell Wendla about his belief in people who enjoy doing charity work?
(a) They will end up in Hell.
(b) They will end up being taken advantage of.
(c) They will end up in Heaven.
(d) They will end up disappointed.

5. During what war was the play suppressed in Germany?
(a) World War I.
(b) World War II.
(c) Korean War.
(d) Vietnam War.

6. How must Martha always wear her hair?
(a) Loose.
(b) Braids.
(c) Short.
(d) In a bun.

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

8. What is Eros according to Bentley?
(a) Sexual love.
(b) Romantic love.
(c) An instinct for death.
(d) An instinct for life.

9. What is the function of the Moritat in the introduction?
(a) Highlights the absurdities and fantastic elements of the play.
(b) Highlights the subtleties of the play.
(c) Highlights the political undertones of the play.
(d) Highlights the salacious points of the play.

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

11. How many students in Melchior and Moritz's class will be allowed to graduate to the next grade?
(a) Forty.
(b) Seventy.
(c) Sixty.
(d) Fifty.

12. How does Moritz discover the information in Act 1, Scene 4 that cheers him up?
(a) He asks his teacher.
(b) He asks the teacher's assistant for help.
(c) He overhears his teacher talking to another professor about him.
(d) He looks his name up in the teacher's book.

13. How many students are competing for sixty seats?
(a) Sixty-seven.
(b) Sixty-three.
(c) Sixty-five.
(d) Sixty-one.

14. What favor does Moritz ask of Melchior in Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) He asks Melchior to visit him later that night.
(b) He asks him to write about sex so he may read it later.
(c) He asks Melchior to help him study.
(d) He asks him not to tell anyone about his ignorance.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Despite the complexity of A Children's Tragedy what striking aspect is the most widely known about this play?

2. What form does the play evolve into?

3. With whom was Wedekind finding conflict while writing his play?

4. Who does Bentley believe is the inspiration for the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Gabor?

5. What excuse does Moritz give in order to escape the discussion about sex?

(see the answer keys)

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