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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 a Moritat?

2. What is the function of the Moritat in the introduction?

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

4. How does Moritz discover the information in Act 1, Scene 4 that cheers him up?

5. How is Wendla's body, in terms of maturation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was this play frequently repressed after the initial publication?

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

3. What does Moritz do in Act I, Scene 4 that nearly gets him in trouble? Why?

4. Describe the main theme of one of the characters that is pointed out as being a philosophy of Goethe.

5. What is pointed out to Moritz in Act I, scene 4 that deflates his happiness?

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

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

8. What startling admission does Moritz give in Act I, Scene 4? Why?

9. According to the summary in the introduction, what will happen to Melchior?

10. Why does Wendla fantasize about being beaten? How does she handle it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the final scene of this play, Melchior comes across Moritz's ghost, who begs his friend to join him in suicide. Compose a strong thesis about the nature of suicide in Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy and write about it in the following format:

Part 1) Discuss Moritz's reasons for suicide.

Part 2) Discuss Melchior's consideration of suicide.

Part 3) Discuss the reaction of the people to Moritz's suicide.

Part 4) Discuss the school's reaction to Moritz's suicide.

Part 5) Discuss the masked man saving Melchior from killing himself.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Pick one of the following topics to write about:

- The father-son dynamic of both the playwright and the play.

- Eros and Thanatos.

- Expressionism and Realism in Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy.

Essay Topic 3

Upon publication, Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy was frequently suppressed, censored, or outright banned in several countries. Discuss the history of this play's production in the following format:

Part 1) Wedekind's troubles in the writing and publishing of this play.

Part 2) Critical reaction.

Part 3) The play during the World Wars.

Part 4) Censored publications.

Part 5) First American performance.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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