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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. Eugene says he believes his father is developing what condition as a result of Blanche’s situation in Act I?

2. When Eugene mimes a ballgame in the opening of Act I, what name does he call the pitcher?

3. How many times does Eugene respond his mother has told him not to leave his things around the house in Act I?

4. What is Kate carrying in Act I when she walks out of the kitchen and says to Eugene, “On my kitchen floor? Do you want me dead, is that what you want”?

5. Nora tells her family in Act I that the Broadway musical she wants to be in will start rehearsing when?

Short Essay Questions

1. What news does Stanley relate to Eugene in their room before dinner in Act I?

2. What do Jack Jerome and Nora Morton discuss while walking on the beach in Act I?

3. What dream does Eugene describe to Stanley in Act I? What is Stanley’s response?

4. How is the setting of Brighton Beach Memoirs described in the opening stage directions for Act I? What year is the play set in?

5. What concerns Jack Jerome during dinner in Act I? What does the family discuss?

6. What news does Nora Morton relate to the family when she arrives home in Act I?

7. How does the historical context of the play relate to its themes?

8. Discuss the narrative style of Brighton Beach Memoirs. What purpose does the use of direct address serve in the play?

9. What is Jack Jerome carrying when he arrives home at dinnertime in Act I? Why?

10. How is the theme of responsibility illustrated in Act I of Brighton Beach Memoirs?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Jack Jerome. How old is Jack? Where does he work? How is his demeanor described when he first appears in Act I? How does Jack change through the story?

Essay Topic 2

Social and Racial Bias in Brighton Beach Memoirs

a. Discuss the time period in which the play is set and the concepts of racial, social, economic, and religious prejudice in the United States and abroad at this time. How does the playwright touch on the subject of prejudice in the story?

b. In what ways do the Jerome family members show racial or social prejudice in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the health of Jack Jerome and his condition in the beginning of Act II. When and where did Jack suffer a heart attack? What have the doctors suggested in terms of his treatment? How has Jack responded to their advice?

(see the answer keys)

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