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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. The men that Stanley gambled with are described in Act II as wearing “black pointy shoes with” what “on their socks”?

2. How did Stanley lose his salary in Act II?

3. Eugene asks the audience in Act II, “How am I going to become a writer if I don’t know how to” what?

4. Where was Stanley gambling when he lost his salary in Act II?

5. The letter that Blanche receives in Act II says that despite all of Frank’s faults, what “have never been his failings”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What autobiographical elements can be seen in Brighton Beach Memoirs?

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

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

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

5. What do Blanche and Nora discuss when Nora arrives home in Act II?

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

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

8. How would you describe the character of Jack Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs?

9. What causes the initial conflict between Kate and Blanche in Act II?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the narrative style of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Eugene’s role as narrator in the play. What is the “fourth wall” of the theater and how does Eugene’s narration break the fourth wall? What is this style of speaking to the audience called?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of coming of age in Brighton Beach Memoirs. Where is Eugene in the process of growing up in Act I? How do you foresee his character evolving in the play? How has Eugene become an adult in some ways by the end of the story?

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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