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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 is Ernestine carrying at the beginning of Act One, Scene 5?

2. Why does Lily say it does not matter what she wears?

3. Why does Ermina’s leg shake in Act Two, Scene 2?

4. On what does Gerte congratulate Ernestine in Act One, Scene 6?

5. What accessory for Ernestine’s graduation dress do Lily and Gerte disagree about?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are Lily’s views on race and fashion?

3. What effect does Ernestine say Gerte has on Ermina?

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

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

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

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

8. Why does Godfrey say he needs Father Divine?

9. What does Gerte say and do that indicates her naïveté about America?

10. How does Gerte respond when Ermina asks her if she was a Nazi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The character of Lily is described in the play’s notes as a “non-conformist” and a “dangerous woman” (14). An unashamed smoker and drinker who parties with men, Lily is probably most dangerous in her influence on the vulnerable Crump girls. Write an essay examining the character of Lily as a “dangerous woman” (14).

Essay Topic 2

After the death of Sandra, the remaining members of the Crump family are left with only memories of their wife, sister, and mother, and Godfrey has adopted an obsessive habit of note taking to help him remember his thoughts. Write an essay examining the role that memory plays in the play.

Essay Topic 3

The teenage Crump family girls are at a critical stage in their development without a primary role model, and Lily overtly expresses sexual attraction for both Godfrey and other men. Write an essay examining the role sex and sexuality play in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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