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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. In Prior's drag dream, at what age does he fear he will die?

2. What famous instigator does Louis Ironson claim his grandmother saw speak?

3. What do homosexuals lack, according to Roy?

4. How many bastards have crept into the Prior Walter bloodline, according to Prior 1?

5. In Act 1, Scene 9, who does Roy claim he can reach on the phone in five minutes?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Roy's response to Belize in Act 1, Scene 5.

3. What desperate question does Louis Ironson ask Rabbi Chemelwitz?

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

5. How do Prior and Harper meet for the first time in the real world?

6. How do people change, according to the Mormon Mother?

7. What does Belize warn Roy about regarding his AZT?

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

9. Describe Roy in Act 3, Scene 5.

10. How does Mr. Lies explain Harper Pitt's ill sense of ease?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Louis is a character concerned with self-loathing. Write an essay on the source and progression of this self-hate. From what act does this guilt stem? What does Louis do to try to stem the tide of guilt that threatens to overwhelm him? What expiates Louis from this loathing, and how is he left at the end of 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

Some critics characterize Angels in America as a magical realist work. In magical realism, the realistic and the paranormal exist at the same time in the narrative. More importantly, though, in a magical realist work the characters accept these paranormal elements without question. Write an essay detailing whether you think Angels in America is a magical realist work. Use specific examples from the text and interpretation of these examples to defend your position.

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