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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 household task does Maggie take from Agnes during Lughnasa?

2. When does Chris say Michael always vanishes?

3. What does Kate say the radio has done to the country?

4. When Uncle Jack says "we," to whom does he refer?

5. What word does Kate use to describe Michael?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Kate believe Agnes could not work in a factory?

2. Who does Maggie forget to count when she is calculating people they must feed for dinner?

3. How does Rose trick Agnes and get away from her?

4. Which of the sisters understands the politics of the Spanish Civil War?

5. How does Uncle Jack reveal that the Ryangans have not been converted to Christianity by his efforts?

6. What does Uncle Jack reveal about his ministry in Ryanga when Kate asks if the people gather together for Mass?

7. What does Uncle Jack reveal about his ministry in Ryanga when Maggie asks if the people there gathered in his church for ceremonies?

8. How does Maggie make a joke of the small amount of food they have?

9. What significance can we attach to Uncle Jack's declaration that he is cold all the time?

10. What has Rose forgotten when she comes home from her meeting with Danny Bradley?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dancing is a central metaphor in this play, and Michael ends the play with a monologue about what dance meant to him. Compare and contrast the effects of dance on him as a boy, when he is frightened by the wild, strange behavior of his family members as they dance, with his reflections on dance at the end of the play.

Essay Topic 2

What difference does the fate of the Sweeney boy, who was burned in the festival of Lughnasa, make to the story? Cite what was believed to have happened and what actually happened. Why do you think this detail is included in the play? Is the boy a metaphor? If so, what does he represent?

Essay Topic 3

Uncle Jack's uniform is an important symbol in this story. Analyze the appearance of his uniform in the mind's eye of young Michael and the rest of his family, and the appearance of his uniform at the end. What does the change represent? How has the family's view of Uncle Jack changed after he has been home for a few weeks?

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This section contains 858 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample