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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. Who keeps Melchior from committing suicide?
(a) Wendla.
(b) Moritz.
(c) Ernst.
(d) A masked man.

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

3. How does Moritz react when being told about sex?
(a) He wants to know more.
(b) He becomes aroused.
(c) He does not want to listen.
(d) He tries to argue with the points being made.

4. What does Wendla claim about the thoughts her mother finds offensive in the first scene?
(a) She says that she overhears her mother expressing these thoughts.
(b) She says she hears the girls at school expressing similar thoughts.
(c) She says her sister tells her these thoughts.
(d) She says they come to her at night.

5. In their first encounter, what question does Melchior pose to Wendla?
(a) He asks if she believes in God.
(b) He asks if she enjoys visiting poor people.
(c) He asks if she likes him.
(d) He asks if she understands sex.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Act 1, Scene 2 take place?

2. Despite the complexity of A Children's Tragedy what striking aspect is the most widely known about this play?

3. According to the other boys, whose name is still on the list for consideration to be promoted?

4. In what decade did Wedekind write A Children's Tragedy?

5. What girl is walking home with Wendla and Martha in Act 1, Scene 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Moritz reveal himself completely ignorant about in Act I, Scene 2?

2. Why does Moritz not want to listen to Melchior's explanations about sex?

3. What happened to "Spring Awakening" in America after publication? Why?

4. In the introduction, why is this play deemed as widely disliked by feminists?

5. What is Wendla's attitude about her old dress and new dress in the beginning of the play?

6. What event does Bentley claim influence Wedekind? Why?

7. What are some of the main philosophical influences and allusions in A Children's Tragedy?

8. How was "Spring Awakening" treated in Germany during both World Wars?

9. What appears to be a key difference between Melchior and Moritz in their first scene together?

10. What are Melchior's beliefs about good deeds, as related to Wendla?

(see the answer keys)

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