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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. How does Charley respond to Happy's claim that they (the brothers) would have helped Willy?

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

3. What does Happy fail to see in Biff's offer?

4. Where does the Woman retreat to in the Boston hotel?

5. Why does Stanley tell off the other waiter?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Account for Willy's anger towards Biff.

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

4. What is wrong with Happy's assertion that "the only dream you can have [is] to come out number one man."?

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

6. What is the effect of Willy's words, "The gist of it is that I haven't got a story left in my head."?

7. In what way is Happy's betrayal of his father ironic?

8. How is it again made evident that Willy Loman "had the wrong dreams"?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Comment on the staging of the "internal scenes" in Death of a Salesman. How effective do you think these are? How important are they in the creation of drama? Are they necessary to understanding the characters? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

"The ancient Greeks had a motto that said, 'Know yourself.' Death of a Salesman is a play about people who never understand themselves." To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your answer, refer both to major and minor characters in the play.

Essay Topic 3

"Death of a Salesman shows us that there is no hope for the 'low man.'"Do you agree? Refer closely to the play. What does this play say about the American Dream?

(see the answer keys)

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