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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 does Lise use as wrapping for Ragueneau's food?

2. According to the poets of Scene 4, how many ruffians lie dying because of Cyrano's sword?

3. At the beginning of Scene 7, who informs Cyrano that a crowd wishes to see him outside?

4. What two drinks does Roxane compare to express her disappointment with Christian's words to her?

5. How long does the monk say Cyrano needs to detain the Comte de Guiche?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cyrano get rid of the Duenna?

2. What new sadness has befallen Ragueneau at the beginning of Act 3?

3. With what has Ragueneau been preoccupied in Act 2?

4. What news does Roxane tell Cyrano in Scene 6?

5. Why does Cyrano embrace Christian at the beginning of Scene 10?

6. How does Roxane prevent Christian's going to battle in Scene 2?

7. Describe Christian's interchange with Roxane in Scene 5.

8. What offer does de Guiche make Cyrano, and why does Cyrano refuse?

9. How does Cyrano delay Christian's kiss in Scene 10?

10. What is the Comte de Guiche's treachery against Ligniere?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Love is an ambiguous force in Cyrano de Bergerac. It guides many character's actions, both for good and for ill. Write an essay about Rostand's ambiguous attitude toward love:

Part 1) Christian loves Roxane completely, which blind him to the reality of his relationship with her. How does he pay for this love, and who else pay for it in the long run?

Part 2) To what extent do both Montfleury and Valvert pay for their romantic desires? What do they have in common and what do they respectively lose?

Part 3) The Comte de Guiche is consumed by his love for Roxane. Analyze how this all-engrossing love is the catalyst for both his most eveil acts and his finest.

Essay Topic 2

A major dynamic in CYRANO DE BERGERAC is the conflict between the physical appearance and the soul. Write an essay about this dynamic, focusing on Cyrano and Christian. What does each represent in terms of this theme? How do Roxane's changing attitudes toward her composite wooer reflect the balance in this ethereal struggle?

Essay Topic 3

Cyrano finds solace in writing letters under Christian's name. Write an essay about his ability finally to speak his heart through the more attractive man's voice. How does this come about? What is he able to say, and at what point does he realize he has wooed Roxane and not Christian? Focus on three parts in the script:

Part 1) The balcony scene

Part 2) The letters during the siege

Part 3) Christian's farewell letter

(see the answer keys)

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