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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 Dr. Barrow ask Ann about Jim's letter?

2. How does Jim respond to the new job interview?

3. How does Jim initially respond to Dr. Bellman's request?

4. Who did Ann call after receiving the phone call she is telling the doctors about?

5. How does Jim appear as Act 2 begins?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Tom and what is the purpose for his visit in Act 3, Scene 3?

2. How does Jim handle Dr. Bellman in the fourth scene of Act 3 and why?

3. How does Jim exit Act 3, Scene 3, and what does Ann tell Dr. Bellman?

4. How does the nature of the theater and performing arts business during the 1950s lead Jim to believe that he will not be able to regain his former success?

5. What is Jim's state of mind in Act 1, Scene 1, and what does he admit to?

6. What does Tom say about Ann's family and how is this another example of her control over him?

7. What test do the doctors give to Jim in Act 3, Scene 2, and what is the point of it?

8. How is Jim calmed down after his outburst and what is again brought into focus?

9. How does Dr. Kramer assess Jim and what does that mean for his possible release?

10. What does Ann do in the beginning of Act 3 that adds to her control over Jim?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think the author's intent was for ending the play so tragically?

1) What is the message he is conveying with Jim's hopelessness? How is Jim's release from the hospital ironic? What is your opinion of the way Jim sacrifices everything in his life that makes him happy in order to live a life of restriction and control.

2) How is Jim's life with Ann similar to his stay at the hospital? Which one do you think is worse? Why?

3) What was Jim's role in the ending? How much of the responsibility should he claim for how his life turned out? To what extent is he a victim compared to a contributor? Why?

4) Was there another way to end the play where Jim did not have to suffer so much? If not, why? If there was, what could it have been?

Essay Topic 2

The staff at the hospital played a necessary role in Jim's stay, state of mind, and actions.

1) Describe the characters you think were the most influential in Jim's hospital stay, how they were depicted, and the ways they affected Jim's actions.

2) Which scenes that included Jim's interactions with the hospital staff were the most important to the plot? Explain the specific part of the scenes and how they were significant to the play.

3) Why do you think there were so many different doctors and attendants that interacted with Jim? What does that display for the hospital's role in the play? Why is this effective in leading to the eventual outcome?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Jim's theory about life and death and why he does not view his suicide attempt as selfish. Analyze his thought process and whether or not it is valid. Also, explain his ideas about mourning and how they show a larger problem for him and the way he looks at life. Use examples from the play to analyze Jim's theory and what part it played in his eventual captivity.

(see the answer keys)

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