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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 grades are shown on Eugene’s report card in Act II?

2. What is the name of the friend Blanche says she’s going to stay with in Act II?

3. Laurie first says that her mother looks like what movie star when she descends the stairs for her date in Act II?

4. Kate tells Jack in Act II, “My family were worriers. Worriers generally marry” what?

5. How many days ago does Eugene say his father suffered the physical ailment in the opening of Act II?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Blanche’s options for independence in the play. Why did Blanche and her children move in with the Jeromes after Dave’s death? What types of jobs are available to Blanche in this economy? What does Blanche hope will come of her date with Frank Murphy?

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

Examine the Jerome/Morton household as a metaphor for the global events of the late 1930s. How do the actions, events, and objectives in the story relate to the bigger events faced by the nation? What elements of symbolism apply to this metaphor?

(see the answer keys)

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