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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, according to Cyrano, do the Spanish troops never notice when he crosses their lines?

2. What other major character has Roxane brought along in her coach?

3. On what does Cyrano blame his fainting in Scene 5?

4. When stopped by Spanish forces, where does Roxane tell them she is going?

5. In what state did Ragueneau leave Cyrano before coming to the convent?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the setting of Act 5.

2. Describe the state of the battle at the end of Act 4?

3. How does Roxane discover that Cyrano is her true suitor?

4. What lie does Cyrano tell Christian before he dies?

5. Why does Cyrano fear telling Roxane the truth regarding the letters?

6. How does Christian realize that Cyrano loves Roxane in Scene 4?

7. What revenge does de Guiche take on Cyrano and Christian in Scene 14?

8. How does the cadets' attitude toward the Comte de Guiche change in Scene 7?

9. Why do Le Bret and Carbon call on Cyrano at the end of Scene 1?

10. In Scene 2, what news has de Guiche heard regarding Cyrano?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The world of Cyrano de Bergerac is one in which good and kind people are often punished for their better graces. Write an essay on the harshness of this France, focusing on three characters:

Part 1) Ragueneau is a lover of beautiful things and a sharer of his livelihood with the less fortunate. How does the world, particularly in relationship to his marriage and his poetry, repay him?

Part 2) Carbon and Le Bret deeply love their troops and will do anything to ensure their safety. Where does this lead them as commanders? Are the elite Gascony Cadets treated with respect in the end?

Part 3) Cyrano has the firmest moral compass int he play. How does this put him in contention with more powerful men? What is the state of his life at the end of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Cyrano de Bergerac is forever held prisoner by his inability to declare his love for Roxane. Write an essay about his continued resistance to admitting his feels for her, focusing on three parts:

Part 1) Why is Cyrano initially unwilling to declare his love to Roxane? How are his assaults on Montfleury and Valvert connected to this reticence?

Part 2) What decisions does Cyrano make regarding Christian and Roxane once he knows they care for each other? What does this say about Cyrano's attitude toward both and toward himself?

Part 3) Cyrano makes a conscious decision not to tell Roxane the truth regarding his letters to her after Christian dies. What is the root of this decision? What does this choice mean for the next 15 years of his life?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the dynamic between Cyrano and the Comte de Guiche. Use the several insults that Cyrano deal de Guiche throughout the play as framework for the essay. Why does Cyrano deal the nobleman these slights, and how does de Guiche respond? Who pays for these slights? Does either man ultimately change as a result of this dynamic?

(see the answer keys)

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