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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. Whose brother-in-law is filling in for Jack Jerome while he’s out of work sick in the beginning of Act II?

2. How old does Jack say his grandmother was when she died?

3. Who gave Laurie the letter that she brings to Blanche in Act II?

4. Of what does Jack tell Kate he was “born with enough… If I need more, I’ll ask you” in Act II?

5. Why does Eugene say his knee hurts in the beginning of Act II?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

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

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

7. How does the conflict between Kate and Blanche become resolved in Act II?

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

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

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

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

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 playwright’s allusions to Broadway in Brighton Beach Memoirs. How many musicals were produced on Broadway in 1937? What were these musicals like? What musical does Nora want to audition for?

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