View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How do all the boys in Act 1, Scene 2 two know each other?
(a) They are all related to each other.
(b) School.
(c) Government-sanctioned parties.
(d) Church.

2. What are Melchior, Moritz, and the boys doing outside in Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) Playing.
(b) Digging holes.
(c) Singing.
(d) Studying.

3. Why does Wendla complain about her new dress?
(a) She feels it is too long and shapeless.
(b) She feels it is too short.
(c) She feels it is too revealing of her figure.
(d) She feels it is too childish.

4. In what way is the love between Moritz and Melchior described?
(a) Fraternal.
(b) Unhealthy.
(c) Co-dependent.
(d) Romantic.

5. What happened to Martha when her parents saw her with a ribbon on her nightgown?
(a) They tore off her ribbon.
(b) They forced her to remove the ribbon.
(c) They forced her to wear a burlap sack.
(d) They tore off her nightgown.

6. What is Eros according to Bentley?
(a) An instinct for life.
(b) Romantic love.
(c) An instinct for death.
(d) Sexual love.

7. What excuse does Moritz give in order to escape the discussion about sex?
(a) He needs to talk to his father.
(b) He needs to go pray.
(c) He needs to find his girlfriend.
(d) He has too much homework.

8. How is Wendla's body, in terms of maturation?
(a) Well-developed.
(b) Matronly.
(c) Slightly below average.
(d) Very under-developed.

9. What birthday is being celebrated for Wendla in Act I, Scene 1?
(a) Fourteen.
(b) Twelve.
(c) Fifteen.
(d) Thirteen.

10. Why does Wendla die?
(a) Suicide.
(b) Abortion pills.
(c) She is taken into custody and dies in prison.
(d) She is murdered to cover up her rape.

11. According to Bentley, what group of people does not like this play?
(a) Feminists.
(b) Libertarians.
(c) Abstinence-only groups.
(d) Environmentalists.

12. What is the purpose of Wendla's errand in Act 1, Scene 5?
(a) The plants are to flavor wine.
(b) The wood is for a fire.
(c) The flowers are for a centerpiece.
(d) The plants are for medicine.

13. Ultimately, what does Bentley suggest about the masked man?
(a) He is Melchior's inner child.
(b) He is a father's voice from Melchior's subconscious.
(c) He is the voice of Melchior's conscience.
(d) He is Moritz's father.

14. In the introduction, what is NOT one of the mentioned allusions in the play?
(a) Goethe.
(b) Faust.
(c) The Bible.
(d) Brecht.

15. While Wedekind wrote his play, what were people questioning?
(a) The censoring of theater and literature.
(b) The father's authority.
(c) Wedekind's writing style.
(d) War.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Moritz believe about why students will flunk out of their class?

2. What favor does Moritz ask of Melchior in Act 1, Scene 2?

3. What does Wendla ask of Melchior at the end of Act 1?

4. What did people find so offensive about A Children's Tragedy when it was first written?

5. What sort of characters are the women in A Children's Tragedy?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 571 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample