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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Charley, what is the only thing Willy has in the world?
(a) His house
(b) His wife and family
(c) The things he can sell
(d) His freedom

2. At the beginning of Act Two, how does Willy express a new optimism?
(a) He says he will buy a new blue suit.
(b) He says he will talk to Bill Oliver.
(c) He says he would like to buy some seeds.
(d) He says he will get the boys to help him plant some seeds.

3. For how long has Willy been a salesman for Howard's firm?
(a) Thirty years
(b) Forty years
(c) Thirty-four years
(d) Forty-three years

4. In what way does Willy contradict himself in this opening scene?
(a) He first says that Biff is not lazy, then calls him "a lazy bum."
(b) Willy first describes Biff as "a lazy bum," then a few seconds later says "Biff--he's not lazy."
(c) He boasts about his sales, then says he's a hopeless salesman.
(d) He first asks Linda for a sandwich, then says he'll just drink some milk.

5. What is it that Linda almost forgets to tell Willy?
(a) That he is to meet Bill Oliver at Frank's Chop House.
(b) That she needs two hundred dollars to cover the month's expenses.
(c) That he is to meet the boys for dinner at Frank's Chop House.
(d) That he is to give Charley an answer about a job.

Short Answer Questions

1. What important admission does Willy make to Charley?

2. Who does Linda refer to as "a philandering bum?"

3. What metaphor about Willy does Linda use in her phone conversation with Biff?

4. For how long was Linda unable to contact Biff?

5. What is wrong with Biff whistling in the elevator?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the way the Loman house is presented when the play begins?

2. What is the importance of Howard Wagner's new wire recorder?

3. In what sense is Willy ironic when he comments that it is obscene for Biff not to have found himself by the age of thirty-four?

4. What is Happy's attitude to the news that his father is contemplating suicide?

5. What is Willy's mood when he leaves for his interview with Howard Wagner?

6. How do the Lomans react to Bernard's news that Biff must study for his coming exams?

7. What does Biff suggest he and Happy do to change their lives?

8. What is it that prevents Willy from accepting the offer of a job from Charley?

9. What erratic behavior of Willy's indicates that he is disintegrating emotionally?

10. What does this conversation with Biff reveal about Happy's character?

(see the answer keys)

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