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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Prior tell Louis he wants to see the next time they meet?

2. What neighborhood in Brooklyn are the Mormon Mother and Harper in Act 3, Scene 6?

3. Which of the following characters is not in the Epilogue of the play?

4. What part of the funeral Prior and Belize attend at the beginning of Act 2 does Prior find particularly distasteful?

5. What is Belize's given name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the motivations and objectives of Harper Pitt. Her actions seem kinetic and meaningless to Hannah and Joe, but she is driven by something deep and ingrained in her psyche. What drives Harper to gobble Valium and act madly? Cite statements made both by her and by Joe to examine the meaning behind her madness.

Essay Topic 2

Tony Kushner creates several prominent characters in the play that are not of this world. Each of these characters exists on a realm of being different from anyone else, even the other supernatural characters. Write an essay comparing three of these characters. Who are they and how have they manifested themselves onstage? With whom do they interact and what is the nature of this interaction? Are they benevolent? Violent?

Part 1) Mr. Lies

Part 2) Ethel Rosenberg

Part 3) The Angel

Essay Topic 3

AIDS is the constant pollutant in the world of Angels in America. It has destroyed lives, relationships, and reputations. It exists in a tangible sense as a destroyer of bodies in the play, but it also exists as an idea against which people understand society. Examine the ways different characters understand AIDS in an essay in three parts:

Part 1) Analyze Roy Cohn's creed to Henry about the meaning of AIDS. What is Roy saying about America, power, and the disease itself?

Part 2) Examine Louis and Belize's conversation in Millennium Approaches. What does Louis say AIDS means to America? What does it reflect about the role of tolerance in our society?

Part 3) When Louis and Prior meet for the first time in weeks in Perestroika, Prior attacks his former lover. In the process he discusses the way the gay community has adapted to AIDS. How does this reflect a disconnect between the community at large and his personal experience?

(see the answer keys)

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