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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. To whom is Jess speaking on the phone outside of John's apartment?

2. What musical present does Eddie report receiving from his parents when he was younger?

3. What activity does Jess claim to do "for fun" (87)?

4. In what month does Scene Four, in which Eddie begs Ani for a job, take place?

5. What action does Jess always take while John washes his genitals?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the emergency button symbolize?

2. What object does John accuse Jess of stealing from his apartment and what is the significance of the object?

3. What metaphor does Eddie use to describe the state of his relationship with his girlfriend and what does he mean?

4. What is the symbolism of the coat at the end of Scene Seven?

5. What is said about Eddie's girlfriend's feelings about Eddie possibly working for Ani?

6. Scene Five ends with Jess believing that she is coming back to John's later for what purpose?

7. In what way does John handle the misunderstanding between him and Jess?

8. Provide an example of the play's creative use of physical humor.

9. Whom does Jess call after running out of John's apartment?

10. Discuss an example of irony present within Scene Four.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Martyna Majok’s messages concerning the pursuit of personal security. Does Majok indicate that the pursuit of personal security is dangerous? Crucial? Elusive? Choose one adjective to represent Majok’s intended message regarding the pursuit of personal security and prove its validity using concrete details from the play.

Essay Topic 2

What is Martyna Marjok's message about the relationship between poverty and privilege within her play Cost of Living?

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the play, the last set of stage directions reads that after Eddie invites Jess in again, “She takes off her hat. And takes one step inside. Toward Eddie. He takes one step toward her. Two people stand together in a fading light” (152). How does this final set of stage directions connect to the themes inherent to the play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,105 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample