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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. Why did Hennesey get assigned to the duty he's on?

2. How did Epstein get down?

3. Who does Wykowski accuse of stealing from him?

4. What do the soldiers discuss as they prepare for their 2-day pass?

5. What is wrong with Roy's mouth?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Toomey treat Epstein, and why?

2. What happens when Toomey asks the guilty person to come forward?

3. Why does Carney decide not to visit the prostitute?

4. What does Rowena say about her home life?

5. What does Hennessey's fantasy say about his character?

6. What does Eugene's attitude seem to be after the other soldiers have read his writings?

7. What is Toomey's strategy for punishing Eugene for his answers?

8. What keeps Eugene from defending Arnold Epstein?

9. Which soldiers does Toomey not let leave the table, and why?

10. What prevented Eugene from seeing any action in the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of Eugene's primary goals is to become a writer. Discuss this goal.

1) What qualities does a writer have? Does Eugene possess these qualities? How does Eugene's writing change over the course of the play?

2) Why does Eugene want to be a writer? Why is this an important goal?

3) What does it mean to be a writer? What does being a writer demand from Eugene?

Essay Topic 2

BILOXI BLUES is a story of soldiers in boot camp, and so it is a primarily male story. However, there are two significant female characters, and women play an important role in the soldiers' lives. Discuss the play's portrayal of women.

1) Compare Rowena to Daisy. What aspects of womanhood do they represent?

2) Why does Eugene fall for Daisy? What characteristics does he admire in her?

3) Are the portrayals of women in the play realistic? Are the women well-developed characters? How do the soldiers view women?

Essay Topic 3

An "other" is someone who is different and becomes outcast. Discuss being different and the concept of the "other" in the play.

1) In what ways are each of the characters different and therefore outcast from the others? Which are outcasts in the culture of the army?

2) How do the characters react to the things that make other characters different? Do any of the characters relate their own status as "others" with ways in which others are also outcasts?

3) How does the idea of an outcast "other" relate to war? Who becomes the "other" during wartime, and how do the soldiers think and talk about this during the play?

(see the answer keys)

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