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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What song does Diana's doctor sing in Act 1, Scene 9?
(a) "He's Not Here".
(b) "It's Gonna Be Good".
(c) "Better Than Before".
(d) "Make up your Mind".

2. What refers to anything, as an act or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions?
(a) Antagonist.
(b) Conflict.
(c) Trigger.
(d) Catalyst.

3. Who appears to ask Dan why he didn't take her to the hospital in Act 1, Scene 11?
(a) Natalie.
(b) Diana.
(c) Harriet.
(d) Samantha.

4. What lightly textured waltz tune does Diana sing in Act 1, Scene 10?
(a) "How Could I Ever Forget".
(b) "I Dreamed a Dance".
(c) "Song of Forgetting".
(d) "Didn't I See This Movie".

5. Who is Diana's pharmacologist in Act 1, Scene 6?
(a) Dr. Williams.
(b) Dr. Fine.
(c) Dr. Diaz.
(d) Dr. Thompson.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who played the character of Natalie in the original Broadway cast of Next to Normal?

2. What psychiatric term refers to an experience that produces psychological injury or pain?

3. What refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning?

4. Diana reveals what to Dan in Act 1, Scene 6?

5. How many Tony Awards did Next to Normal win the year it was nominated for eleven awards?

Short Essay Questions

1. What takes place at the family dinner in Act 1, Scene 5?

2. What does Dan sing about in the song "It's Gonna Be Good"? Where is he?

3. What are Henry and Natalie doing in Act 1, Scene 4? Who watches them?

4. What is the song "I Miss the Mountains" metaphorical for? What does Diana do while singing it?

5. Describe the symbolic and metaphoric elements in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11. What object becomes important in these scenes and why?

6. What song is performed by Diana and Gabe in Act 1, Scene 10? What does Gabe encourage Diana to do?

7. What triggers Diana's memory flashback in Act 1, Scene 4? What is the memory of?

8. What structurally takes place in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11? What film is references in these scenes?

9. Describe the structural elements which stand out in the first scenes of Act 1. How is musical improvisation used as a literary technique?

10. What does Dr. Madden suggest to Diana in Act 1, Scene 10? Where does she go after she leaves his office?

(see the answer keys)

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