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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Eugene claims in Act II, “I’d give up writing if I could” what?
(a) See a girl naked while I was eating ice cream
(b) Have a date with a girl
(c) Play for the Boston Red Sox
(d) Travel to Europe and fight in the war

2. What kind of ice cream does Jack say he wants for dessert in Act II?
(a) Maple walnut
(b) Vanilla
(c) Butter pecan
(d) Chocolate

3. What military branch is Stanley considering enlisting in, in Act II?
(a) The U.S. Navy
(b) The U.S. Marines
(c) The U.S. Peace Corps
(d) The U.S. Army

4. Whose brother-in-law is filling in for Jack Jerome while he’s out of work sick in the beginning of Act II?
(a) Mr. Jacobson’s
(b) Mr. Anderson’s
(c) Mr. Murphy’s
(d) Mr. Smith’s

5. Where is Eugene writing in his memoirs in the opening of Act II?
(a) In the attic
(b) In his room
(c) In the basement
(d) In the backyard

Short Answer Questions

1. The letter that Blanche receives in Act II relates that Frank is hospitalized for what reason?

2. Stanley has been fired from his job for doing what?

3. What does Eugene say his dad was doing at nights to try to earn extra money before his health collapsed in Act II?

4. How old does Blanche say her husband was when he died in Act II?

5. Of the letter that Blanche receives in Act II, Eugene says, “It was a sad letter, all right, but it sure was well written. Maybe I should have been born” where?

Short Essay Questions

1. How much time passes between the end of Act I and the opening of Act II? How has the household changed?

2. How does the conflict escalate between Kate and Blanche in Act II?

3. What other plays are connected in the trilogy that includes Brighton Beach Memoirs?

4. How effective was Neil Simon in integrating drama and comedy in his writing of Brighton Beach Memoirs?

5. What do Blanche and Nora discuss when Nora arrives home in Act II?

6. Where was Brighton Beach Memoirs first produced? When did it premiere on Broadway?

7. What has Neil Simon noted in terms of his relationship to Brighton Beach Memoirs and its autobiographical elements?

8. How does the Jewish heritage of the Jerome/Morton family play into the metaphorical interpretation of the play?

9. What causes the initial conflict between Kate and Blanche in Act II?

10. How does the relationship between Blanche and Kate evolve through the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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