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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 does Joe Keller promise at the end of the act?

2. What is the only part of the paper that Joe Keller reads?

3. Which of the following is not a military rank listed among Joe Keller's factory staff?

4. How long does Chris tell Ann he expected her to stay with the Kellers?

5. What French expression does Chris use to refer to Joe in Act 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Joe take his own life?

2. Describe the story that Jim tells about the year he left his family.

3. What is George's attitude toward the setting?

4. What favor does Ann ask of Kate and why?

5. How does Joe defend himself to Chris regarding the money he made?

6. Why does Kate have to go into the house?

7. What plans does Joe Keller make for the evening?

8. Why does Kate have to believe that Larry is still alive?

9. What is Steve Deever's side of the cylinder head story?

10. Why is Kate unwilling to acknowledge Larry's death, according to Joe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the Keller family's place in the community at the beginning of the play. How do they believe they are perceived by the neighborhood and how are they perceived in reality? How do they maintain their supposed status? Cite specific moments in the play to corroborate your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Ann Deever is a surrogate in many respects for the audience in the play. She is familiar with the Keller family but not with the web of delusion and lies that has held their household together since the factory scandal and Larry's death. Write an essay about Ann's relationship with several characters and how it reflects the audience's reaction to the Keller family.

Part 1) Ann is in love with Chris Keller for his idealism and yearning for a life that stands for more than making money. She fears that his presence in a house with his parents is driving him to despair. How does her love for Chris reflect our attitude towards him? How does their relationship reflect our relationship to Miller's message?

Part 2) From her arrival at the house, Ann is in conflict with Kate Keller about Larry. How does this conflict amplify the truly destructive delusion that tears the Kellers apart daily?

Part 3) Examine Ann's ambivalent relationship with Joe. How does her affection that changes to pitied revulsion change our attitude toward Joe as a character?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of money as a corrupting influence is a central theme in All My Sons. The attitude of certain characters in the play toward the world is often perverted by their attitude toward money. Write an essay on the following topics:

Part 1) How does Joe Keller's understanding of the human race become corrupted by his desire to make money? Why does he place the pursuit of wealth in such esteem?

Part 2) Compare Ann Deever's response to Chris Keller's promise to make her a fortune to Joe Keller's understanding with his wife. How do they reflect different world views?

Part 3) How does Jim and Sue Bayliss' marriage mirror the relationship between Chris and Joe Keller in regard to their conflict toward the value of money?

(see the answer keys)

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