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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. What makes Willy feel broken and desperate?
(a) That Linda would hate and despise him.
(b) The thought that Biff might consider him a coward.
(c) The possibility that Linda might re-marry.
(d) The realization that Happy is only interested in getting the insurance money.

2. Which character "never knew who he was?"
(a) Howard
(b) Willy
(c) Biff
(d) Bernard

3. From where did Biff leave to travel to Boston to find his father?
(a) Union Station
(b) Grand Central
(c) Yonkers
(d) Brooklyn Bridge

4. In his outburst, what does Biff call Willy?
(a) A phoney, a liar and a wizened Lothario
(b) A liar, a fake and a phony
(c) A liar, a rake and a phony
(d) A fake and a rake

5. Which is the first of several lies Happy tells Miss Forsythe?
(a) That he sells silk stockings
(b) That Biff is a famous footballer
(c) That he is a famous footballer
(d) That he is a champagne salesman

Short Answer Questions

1. Biff wants Willy to ____________.

2. Why does Biff no longer want Willy to intercede with Birnbaum over the Math failure?

3. What was the problem with Willy's dreams?

4. What is the guaranteed proposition Willy refers to as he "speaks" to Ben?

5. What does Biff think Linda needs?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Biff, what is at the core of Willy's (and his own) problems?

2. How is the fact of Willy's severe disintegration communicated to the audience?

3. Explain Happy's refusal to go with Biff and make a life for themselves in the country.

4. Did Willy Loman die in vain?

5. What is Willy's reaction to Biff's attempt to tell the day's events truthfully?

6. Is Death of a Salesman an uncompromising indictment of "The American Dream"?

7. How does Biff feel about lying to his father about the Bill Oliver interview?

8. What is Willy's final fantasy?

9. In what way is Willy's life echoed in Biff's account of his attempt to see Bill Oliver?

10. Is Charley's summation of Willy and his life as a salesman an accurate one?

(see the answer keys)

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