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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 is Helen's reaction to Jo's dream?

2. What kind of cigar is Peter smoking?

3. What does Helen tell Peter she is giving up?

4. What is the climate like in the new apartment according to Helen?

5. Why did Helen's first husband divorce her?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why has Geof told Helen about the baby?

2. Is Helen sensitive about being older than Peter?

3. Why does Jo attack Peter, half-laughing, half-crying?

4. What does Jo say to make Geof almost leave the apartment?

5. How has Helen and Peter's relationship changed since they have been married?

6. What school does Helen offer to pay for Jo to attend?

7. Why would Jo rather be on the streets instead of in films?

8. Who was Jo's first love, as she admits to Helen in Scene 1?

9. Who is more suited for motherhood: Geof or Jo?

10. Why do Helen and Peter leave Jo in the apartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Geof, while ultimately overpowered by Helen, is a very complex character. Do a character study on Geof, examining his motives, actions, statements, and reactions, specifically in regards to his relationship to Jo. Why does he wilt so easily around Helen? Why does he allow a drunken Peter to insult and berate him?

Essay Topic 2

Helen first husband is described by her as a Puritan, and she had not been with a man until she sought out Jo's father in the barn. How do you think Helen's conservative husband shaped her later life? Why did she sleep with someone else, and someone who was considered mentally deficient to boot? Do you think this was the beginning of Helen's life as a social butterfly?

Essay Topic 3

Peter is arguably the least-developed character in the play. While the others have complex emotional paths, Peter is very clearly a womanizer and a drunk. Why do you think Delaney included this two-dimensional character with her other well-rounded and developed characters? Do you think Peter is meant to be underdeveloped?

(see the answer keys)

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