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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 does Jack do for nine hours a day for his primary job?

2. Of whom does Jack say in Act II, “That child is pampered too much”?

3. How is the letter signed that Blanche receives in Act II?

4. At about what time does Act II open?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What causes the internal conflicts faced by Blanche Morton in the play?

3. What gift does Stanley give to Eugene in Act II? What is Eugene’s response?

4. What have been perceived as the weaknesses of the narrator in Brighton Beach Memoirs?

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

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

7. Why do Jack and Kate Jerome argue in the beginning of Act II?

8. How did critics respond to the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs? How does the play fit in with Neil Simon’s body of works?

9. What news does Jack Jerome receive via a letter in the mail in Act II?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine and discuss the actions, objectives, and obstacles of Nora Morton in Act I of Brighton Beach Memoirs. Why does Nora want to be in a Broadway musical? What prevents her from doing so?

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

Describe and discuss the character of Stanley Jerome in the play. How old is Stanley? What kind of relationship does he have with his younger brother? How is Stanley regarded by his parents?

(see the answer keys)

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