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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Ballas ask Gross at the beginning of Act 1, Scene 4?
(a) If he received the authorization.
(b) If he is ready to be reasonable.
(c) If he has any more rolls.
(d) If he can purchase an additional log book.

2. Who does Gross attempt to persuade in order to bypass authorization?
(a) Maria.
(b) Stroll.
(c) Helena.
(d) Ballas.

3. What does Gross ask Lear to do for him in Act 1, Scene 5?
(a) Help him learn Ptydepe.
(b) Tell him where the next Ptydepe class is.
(c) Translate the memo.
(d) Help him get his former position back.

4. What do Stroll and Savant offer as proof for their theory that Gross "lusts after" Maria?
(a) That Gross has asked her out on a date.
(b) That Gross has trouble speaking when she is around.
(c) That the Staff Watcher heard Gross call her sweetheart.
(d) That Gross always gets up when she enters the room.

5. What is Gross trying to get accomplished in Act 1, Scene 3?
(a) He is trying to get the new log book authenticated.
(b) He is trying to get the memorandum translated.
(c) He is trying to get the books balanced.
(d) He is trying to get back to his office.

6. What is further illustrated in Scene 2?
(a) The eating habits of Hana.
(b) The foolishness of Ptydepe.
(c) The tension between Ballas and Pillar.
(d) The dislike between Gross and Ballas.

7. What does Gross carry with him throughout Scene 2?
(a) The new log book.
(b) A pen and paper.
(c) A roll.
(d) The memorandum.

8. Who is Stroll?
(a) The CEO of the company.
(b) The head of the Center.
(c) Gross' boss.
(d) The new Accounting manager.

9. Where does the Staff Watcher watch from?
(a) The corner.
(b) The closet.
(c) The main office.
(d) A hole in the wall.

10. Who does Ballas point out is in control of Ptydepe?
(a) Savant.
(b) Maria.
(c) The higher-ups.
(d) Helena.

11. in Act 1, Scene 5, what does Lear attempt to illustrate about Ptydepe?
(a) Words in traditional language are given different meanings in Ptydepe.
(b) The vowels in Ptydepe are silent.
(c) Ptydepe makes no sense.
(d) Ptydepe does not use grammar.

12. What do Ballas and Gross argue about?
(a) The termination of Ptydepe.
(b) The Staff Watcher's report.
(c) Ballas' salary.
(d) Gross' refusal to understand Ptydepe.

13. What does the clerk's character symbolize?
(a) The concerns of the common worker.
(b) The result of a meaningless system.
(c) The dangers of blind loyalty in a bureaucratic system.
(d) The notion of how lazy workers can advance in a company through deceit.

14. How does Stroll exit in Act 1, Scene 3?
(a) Suddenly.
(b) Angrily.
(c) Slowly.
(d) Involuntarily.

15. Which phrase best describes the clerk's actions?
(a) Ignorant.
(b) Selfish.
(c) Sucking up.
(d) Admirable.

Short Answer Questions

1. As a reflection of bureaucracy, what kind of explanation do the higher-ups provide for the creation of Ptydepe?

2. The parallels Havel draws in Act 1, Scene 4 are between Ballas and what?

3. As explained in the play, what is Ptydepe designed to reduce?

4. What does Hana repeatedly ask Gross in Act 1, Scene 4?

5. The irony of the events in Acct 1, Scene 5 is that Gross' lack of knowledge prevents him from gaining what?

(see the answer keys)

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