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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 day of the week is it at the beginning of Act One, Scene 1?

2. What does Godfrey write down in Act One, Scene 2?

3. What is Lily doing at the beginning of Act One, Scene 3?

4. How did Ermina respond to teasing from the other kids at school?

5. What does Lily tell the girls not the share with their father in Act One, Scene 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lily say she is unemployed?

2. Why does Lily suggest she belongs to the Communist Party?

3. Why is Godfrey experiencing problems at work?

4. How does Ernestine imagine her apology to the school?

5. What is Lily’s behavior like at the beginning of Act One, Scene 4?

6. Why do Ernestine and Godfrey say they are not going out?

7. Why does Ernestine express surprise that Lily is her mother’s sister?

8. What does Lily say is different about Brooklyn?

9. Why did Godfrey discover Father Divine?

10. Why does Godfrey pass the letter from Father Divine to Ernestine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Following the death of a family member, different characters employ different coping mechanisms – ranging from politics and religion to alcohol and entertainment – to self-medicate their grief. Write an essay examining the role that escapism plays in the play.

Essay Topic 2

Many plays use a third-person omniscient character or chorus as narrator. The character of Ernestine is the only character in the play who breaks the third wall and directly addresses the audience with repeated asides. Write an essay examining the role of Ernestine as the play’s narrator.

Essay Topic 3

“Crumbs From the Table of Joy” is an interesting title that is never mentioned or explained in the play. Though the play features a feast, the title leads the audience to believe that the characters, many of whom have the last name “Crump,” are left scrambling for “crumbs” of “joy.” Write an essay examining the meaning of the title of the play.

(see the answer keys)

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