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

2. Why is Frank at fault for his hospitalization in Act II?

3. How much is the salary that Stanley has lost in Act II?

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?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eugene respond to Stanley’s departure in Act II? Who does he go to talk to about the situation?

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

3. How is the relationship between Eugene and Laurie illustrated in the play?

4. When does Stanley return home in Act II? Why does he decide to return?

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

6. 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?

7. What news does Stanley relate to Eugene in their room in the beginning of Act II?

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

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

10. What do Jack and Stanley discuss after Stanley’s return home in Act II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss playwright Neil Simon and the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. When was the play first produced and where? When did it move to Broadway? How long did it run before closing? How does this play compare with Simon’s other works?

Essay Topic 2

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of Brighton Beach Memoirs. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader or audience member?

b. How does Brighton Beach Memoirs compare with other Broadway plays written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Neil Simon’s writing?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the internal conflicts presented in Act I within the characters of Eugene, Stanley, Kate, Blanche, Nora, and Laurie. How do these conflicts differ from external conflicts? How do these conflicts drive the plot of the story forward?

(see the answer keys)

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