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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 Prior do while Louis is on the phone in Act 2, Scene 1?

2. What does Joe blame for Harper's pills in Act 2, Scene 4?

3. Which of the following characters does not appear in Act 2, Scene 9?

4. Why, according to Joe, does he not want to have sex with Harper most days?

5. From what dead figure does Ethel Rosenberg send a "hello" in Act 3, Scene 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Roy in Act 3, Scene 5.

2. Where is Roy the last time we see him in the play?

3. Describe Prior's appearance in Act 2.

4. Why does Belize want Louis to say Kaddish over Roy's body?

5. What does Louis say to Joe to upset him in Act 3, Scene 4?

6. How does Belize secure some of Roy's AZT in Act 3, Scene 2?

7. Describe the setting of the Epilogue.

8. How does Louis end up in Prior's bedroom in Act 3, Scene 6?

9. What is the Angel's official edict, and why does she want it delivered to Earth?

10. What request does Prior make of Louis at the end of their pained meeting in Act 4, Scene 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Prior Walter is Tony Kushner's hero in the Angels in America. Write an essay delineating what qualities of Prior Walter make him heroic. The first half of the essay should sketch out the character aspects that make a hero. In the second half, cite specific actions taken and statements made by Prior that would conform with this model. What is Prior's great heroic act in the play?

Essay Topic 2

Angels in America is a play about a world polluted by selfish acts and fear. In this diseased America, two figures emerge as healers and caretakers willing to sacrifice for others in need: Write an essay about these two characters.

Part 1) How does the character of Belize serve as a healing force in the darkest reaches of the play? Examine his relationships with Prior, Louis, and Roy Cohn to determine his beliefs regarding empathy and truth.

Part 2) How does the character of Hannah progress from a caricature to a fully developed and evolving person in the play? Who does she help over the course of Perestroika, and how does she defy the expectations of those around her?

Part 3) Write a summation regarding Hannah and Belize. What do these figures say about Kushner's sense of benevolence and truth in modern-day America?

Essay Topic 3

Angels in America is a celebration of the essential commonality of all people. Write en essay on this theme, focusing on the beleaguered relationships that mature throughout the play. What do Hannah and Prior, Belize and Roy, and others discover about themselves and their supposed foils? Conclude the essay with a statement regarding Kushner's opinion of humanity.

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