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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 Yasha ask of Lyubov in Act III?

2. What do Lyubov and Varya mention in Act II that the peasants have been complaining about?

3. How does Lyubov's son die?

4. What does Lyubov give to the stranger who passes through in Act II?

5. What, according to Trofimov, is peering out from every cherry tree?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lopakhin suggest that Lyubov and Gaev do with the estate in Act II? What is their reaction?

2. Describe the setting of Act II. What characters are in the opening of the scene, and what are they doing?

3. Explain the argument between Lyubov and Trofimov in Act III.

4. What is the emotional state of Lyubov at the end of Act III? Why?

5. What is the emotional state of Lopakhim in Act III? Why?

6. Who is the comic relief in the play? How does this play out?

7. Who is Pishchik? How does he know the family? What request does he make to Lyubov repeatedly in Act II?

8. Who performs magic tricks? What tricks does he/she perform? Where did he/she learn to perform them?

9. Which character is the most "socialist?" How?

10. How does Trofimov feel about the upper classes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chekhov was known as one of Europe's most "ecological playwrights." The use of trees and their demise was common in his works. How does this play out in The Cherry Orchard? What events during this time in history would have affected the ecological system in Russia? How does Chekhov use trees in The Cherry Orchard to make his political and ecological viewpoints known?

Essay Topic 2

Chekhov chose to title this play, The Cherry Orchard: A Comedy in Four Acts. Why did he title it a comedy? What comedic elements does he employ within the play? What tragic elements are there?

Essay Topic 3

If The Cherry Orchard were produced today, what elements of the play would contemporary audiences most relate to? Why? What elements would audiences not relate to?

(see the answer keys)

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