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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. How did Johnna's father die?

2. What time does Sheriff Gilbeau tell Violet it is when she asks in Act 1, Scene 4?

3. What animal is depicted on Johnna's necklace?

4. What is Johnna's last name?

5. When was the photograph taken of Beverly and Violet in New York City that Mattie Fae looks at in Act 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What foreshadowing can be seen in Act 1, Scene 1?

2. What is significant about the reference to the safety deposit box in Act 1, Scene 2?

3. What is significant about the references to Barbara's career in Act 1, Scene 2?

4. How would you describe Violet's attitude toward Johnna in Act 1?

5. What information is revealed to the reader/audience in Act 1, Scene 3?

6. What foreshadowing is revealed in the Prologue to August: Osage County?

7. What is significant about the conversation between Ivy and Violet in the beginning of Act 2?

8. What theme is predominant in Act 1, Scene 4? How is this theme developed in the scene?

9. What important exposition is established in the Prologue to August: Osage County?

10. What literary allusions does Beverly Weston make in the play's Prologue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of irony and subtext in August: Osage County. What are examples of dramatic irony in the work? What are examples of verbal irony? What are examples of situational irony? What purpose does each example serve?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the significance of the safety deposit box in August: Osage County. How does the safety deposit box tie into the major plot of the narrative? What does the safety deposit box represent symbolically or metaphorically? How does the safety deposit box relate to the themes of the play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the relationship between Ivy and Little Charles in August: Osage County. In what ways are Ivy and Little Charles similar? What has attracted these characters to one another? How does their relationship evolve in the course of the play?

(see the answer keys)

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