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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. Why is there a dressmaker’s dummy in the Crump living room?

2. Who is the jazz musician Gerte heard in Berlin?

3. How does Godfrey introduce himself?

4. Why does Ernestine not want to go to the movies with Gerte?

5. What word does Ermina use that Gerte does not know in Act Two, Scene 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Lily and Gerte’s differing views on race?

2. How does Ermina describe the teasing from the other girls about Gerte?

3. What comparisons does Ernestine make between the food and religious belief?

4. How did Gerte’s upbringing affect her views on race?

5. What does Gerte say and do to indicate she is trying to fit in when she meets Ermina and Ernestine?

6. What does Lily not like about Ernestine applying lace to her graduation dress?

7. What are Lily and Gerte’s differing views on Godfrey?

8. Why does Lily handle the flooding in the yard alone?

9. Why does Ermina’s leg shake?

10. How does Ernestine describe the Crump family’s routine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although an important character, Father Divine remains enigmatic in that he never actually appears as a living character in the play. All the same, Father Divine’s influence is felt as Godfrey takes to his teachings with fanaticism. Write an essay examining the role of Father Divine as an invisible character.

Essay Topic 2

One of the central characters, Ernestine, has an obsession with Hollywood and movies and regularly blurs the lines between fantasy and reality with imagined asides. Write an essay examining the role that arts and entertainment play in the play.

Essay Topic 3

One of the central characters, Lily, overtly expresses a political affiliation with the Communist Party, influencing at least one of her nieces, much to her father’s chagrin. Write an essay examining the role that politics plays in the play.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 791 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample