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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. Jack says to Blanche when she and Kate are fighting in Act II, “Tell her what it’s like to live in a house that isn’t yours. To have to depend on somebody else to put food on your plate every night. I know what it’s like because I lived that way until I was” how old?
(a) Twenty-one years old
(b) Twenty-three years old
(c) Thirty-one years old
(d) Eighteen years old

2. What brand of cigarettes does Stanley say he smokes in Act II?
(a) Camels
(b) Lucky Strikes
(c) Marlboros
(d) Parliaments

3. At about what time does Act II open?
(a) 9:30 p.m.
(b) 6:00 a.m.
(c) 6:30 p.m.
(d) 3:30 p.m.

4. When Stanley returns home at the end of Act II, Eugene tells him, “Mom’s in the kitchen cooking. Pop’s upstairs with his prayer book. They figured if God didn’t bring you home, maybe” what would?
(a) Her homemade pirogues
(b) Her chicken noodle soup
(c) Her potato pancakes
(d) Her chocolate cake

5. What does Jack do for nine hours a day for his primary job?
(a) Sells ice cream
(b) Cuts raincoats
(c) Drives a taxi
(d) Assembles car parts

Short Answer Questions

1. How many “terrific lies” does Eugene tell Stanley he came up with for him to explain the missing money in Act II?

2. Who brought Jack home after he suffered from a physical ailment, according to Eugene in Act II?

3. What does Kate tell Laurie she’s made for dinner tonight in the beginning of Act II?

4. The letter that Blanche receives in Act II says that despite all of Frank’s faults, what “have never been his failings”?

5. What does Laurie say the person who gave her the letter offered for her to eat in Act II?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is Brighton Beach Memoirs metaphorical for the onset of World War II?

4. How would you describe the character of Jack Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs?

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

6. How is Blanche’s appearance described when she enters in Act II? What causes tension in this scene regarding Stanley’s income?

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

8. What autobiographical elements can be seen in Brighton Beach Memoirs?

9. What criticisms did Neil Simon receive for the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs?

10. Who has sent the letter with Laurie in Act II? What news does the letter relate?

(see the answer keys)

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