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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 Gerte offer Lily in Act Two, Scene 2?

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

3. When does Lily say she wore a white dress?

4. What does Lily sell at a pawn shop?

5. On what setting does Act One, Scene 5, open?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the relationship between Gerte and Ernestine like?

3. Why does Ermina’s leg shake?

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

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

6. What are Lily’s views on African traditions?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Lily not only drinks but also influences both Gerte and Ernestine to do so, and information is revealed about Godfrey’s past experiences with alcohol despite his present prohibition against it. Write an essay examining the role alcohol and alcoholism play in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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