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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 is Doug's advice to Curt about his life?

2. Why does Doug think the police will find what they are looking for at the massage parlor?

3. Why does Beth feel the way that she does about Curt's childhood?

4. How does Sandy feel about the money Curt gave her?

5. In Act 2, Scene 6, what does Curt reveal was his plan for the money he stole for Sandy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Sandy's mother has been married five times. Why was the death of one of those husbands so upsetting to her?

2. What evidence in the play supports Curt's decision to go after Sandy instead of staying at the apartment and talking with Beth?

3. Is there evidence to support the fact that Curt may be in some trouble after stealing the money?

4. In Act 2, Scene 6, when does Curt realize he has made a terrible mistake?

5. At the end of Act 1, Scene 8, what made Sandy change her mind about letting Curt help her find a new job?

6. Where does Sandy go to for help before returning to her apartment to find the padlocked door in Act 2, Scene 2? What happens when she gets there?

7. Is there evidence to support Curt holding Beth's middle-class upbringing against her in Act 2, Scene 3?

8. Is there evidence in the play to support the idea that Curt's stealing may be related to his past?

9. What evidence from Act 2, Scene 2, supports the fact that Doug seems interested in Heather as more than just a prostitute?

10. How does Curt upset Sandy in Act 1, Scene 8? Is there evidence in the same scene that Curt's intentions weren't to hurt her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Each piece of literature has a theme.

1. What does theme mean?

2. What is the theme of "Blue Surge"? Use examples from the play to support.

3. Was Gilman affective in portraying her theme? Is there anything she could have done differently that would have impacted the theme in a positive way? What would have impacted the theme in a negative way? Use examples from the play to support.

Essay Topic 2

The title of the play is "Blue Surge," and there is a song that Curt likes that is titled "Blue Serge."

1. What does "Surge" mean? What does "Serge" mean? What is the difference between the two titles?

2. What did the song "Blue Serge" mean to Curt when he thought the title was "Blue Surge"?

3. How is the title "Blue Surge" appropriate for this play? Use examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

The law is a focus in this play, and it is broken in several ways.

1. Which characters break the law and how is it broken?

2. Compare and contrast the laws that were broken. Does one seem to be worse than the others? Why or why not?

3. Are there instances in Curt's character where his stealing seems to be an innate quality? Where and why?

(see the answer keys)

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