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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. Where do Edna and Harry spend the night?

2. According to Agnes, if you can entertain the idea of going mad, ________________________________.

3. Who is Agnes and Tobias's daughter?

4. Harry and Edna make a request for ______________.

5. What is the format of A DELICATE BALANCE?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tobias respond to Agnes talk about going mad?

2. What are Agnes and Tobias's main points when considering whether or not to ask Harry and Edna to leave?

3. How does Claire retaliate against Tobias for asking her about Alcoholics Anonymous?

4. What is the topic that supersedes Agnes's obsession with madness?

5. Who is the voice of calm and reason in Act 2, Scene 2?

6. How does Agnes exhibit that she is so out of tune with her daughter's distress?

7. What are Julia's comments about the evening's dinner?

8. What is Thomas reminded of when asked to speak to Julia and her husband?

9. What is the setting for Act 1 of A DELICATE BALANCE?

10. What does Agnes feel about Claire and how is that reflected in their communications?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain Albee's use of humor in the play. Cite examples of at least two different instances of humor and explain why the author used them where he did.

Essay Topic 2

Albee uses more than one instance of irony in the book. One example is the clarity with which the alcoholic Claire can view life. Cite at least two other examples you can identify in the play and note why they are examples of irony.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of married women in the 1960s when the women in the novel are living their married lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do the have? What freedoms did they have that twenty-first century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

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