View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On what day does Cyrano customarily visit the convent?

2. What does Le Bret announce must be done immediately upon hearing of Cyrano's injury?

3. To which Greek god does Roxane compare Christian in Scene 8?

4. Which of the following coach parts is used to smuggle food to the cadets?

5. How does de Guiche's voice change after he decides to stay and fight?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why are the troops starving at the beginning of Act 4?

3. How has Roxane's love changed in the months since the siege?

4. Describe the imaginary enemies Cyrano fights at the end of the play?

5. How does Roxane make her way to the Gascony cadets?

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. What secret does Cyrano tell Christian in Scene 7?

9. What does Roxane incorrectly assume when she see's Ragueneau and Le Bret exit in Scene 3?

10. How does Cyrano distract the Comte de Guiche while Roxane and Christian marry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Within the overall arc of the love triangle among Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian, Rostand's play seems to contain many smaller plays within it. Each act of Cyrano de Bergerac contains a different tone to it, from broad farce, to military drama, to elegy. Write an essay about three of the five acts. What common themes do they have? How are they different in tone?

Essay Topic 2

Love is an ambiguous force in Cyrano de Bergerac. It guides many character's actions, both for good and for ill. Write an essay about Rostand's ambiguous attitude toward love:

Part 1) Christian loves Roxane completely, which blind him to the reality of his relationship with her. How does he pay for this love, and who else pay for it in the long run?

Part 2) To what extent do both Montfleury and Valvert pay for their romantic desires? What do they have in common and what do they respectively lose?

Part 3) The Comte de Guiche is consumed by his love for Roxane. Analyze how this all-engrossing love is the catalyst for both his most eveil acts and his finest.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 986 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample