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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. Who, according to Natasha, speaks very bad French?

2. Who announces they're staying to lunch when the arrival of another character occurs?

3. Who says she comes from a family that has always despised work?

4. Who does Masha joke is starting to look like a boy?

5. To whom does Vershinin tell the story of the prisoner who did not notice the beauty of bird song until he was incarcerated?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is heard as Olga calls everyone to lunch?

2. Who seems to be going out, as indicated by their style of dress in the opening of this scene?

3. How has Andrei changed since being with Natasha?

4. What is the new job Tusenbach reveals he will start soon?

5. What does Masha sarcastically comment when Natasha enters the room with a candle?

6. What does Andrei do in the background throughout the scene?

7. What does Olga tell Anfisa to do in response to the news in #38?

8. Where is the first act of the play set?

9. What does Irina do in response to the action of #13?

10. What do Irina and Olga talk about in relation to Moscow and their living situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Olga is a curious sister in this play, with many unique attributes and ideas about life.

Part 1: Describe the character of Olga.

Part 2: Compare and contrast Olga to Natasha.

Part 3: Summarize the events which take place in Olga's life during the play. What do her experiences have to say about who she is and what her importance to the play is?

Essay Topic 2

Many tragedies affect the characters of this play - so many that it seems tragic that these characters should endure so much.

Part 1: List the tragedies that take place in this place.

Part 2: Which tragedy is most important or most traumatic to the characters of the play?

Part 3: What do these tragedies symbolize in regards to the characters? How are the characters changed by each tragedy they face?

Essay Topic 3

The meaning of life is something that also begins to emerge as a theme in this play. Each character is searching for something, but what that 'something' is remains to be clear at times.

Part 1: What is Olga's sense of the meaning of life? How has she defined what makes her life worth living?

Part 2: What is Masha's sense of the meaning of life? How has her definition changed before and after Vershinin?

Part 3: What is Irina's hope in life causing her to do? She has hope for the future, but does that hinder her search for meaning or help it? Support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 624 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample