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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 Father Flynn end his opening sermon?

2. What happens to the ship in the parable of the sailor told by Father Flynn in Scene 1?

3. In Scene 3, what does Father Flynn tell the boys to do after getting dressed?

4. What does Father Flynn say is on the other side of the glass from happy, untroubled people when he delivers the sermon in the opening scene?

5. What does Father Flynn believe is the danger at the free throw line?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Father Flynn tell the boys about his childhood acquaintance Timmy Mathisson?

2. Why does Sister Aloysius say that it makes sense for Father Flynn to take interest in Donald Muller?

3. How do we know that this play is set in 1964?

4. Why is Sister Aloysius so certain that someone will hit Donald Muller?

5. In Scene 1, why does the sailor in Father Flynn's sermon feel despair when clouds cover the sky?

6. What is Father Flynn's relationship with the boys on the basketball team like?

7. In Scene 4, why is Sister Aloysius trying to protect the rosebush from frost even though there hasn't been any frost?

8. In Scene 2, what is Sister Aloysius talking about when she asks: what good is a gift when it is left in the box?

9. Why does Father Flynn compare the sailor's despair to a crisis of faith?

10. Why does Sister Aloysius want to see Sister James become more self-confident?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Catholic church is almost a character unto itself in Doubt: A Parable. Describe how the church hierarchy affects the characters and plot of the play. How do the nuns and priests interact with each other? If they were not governed by the church, how might the story have ended differently? Provide evidence from the play to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

What are the doubts Sister Aloysius speaks of at the end of the play? Does she doubt Father Flynn's guilt? Is she doubting her position at the school? Does she doubt she's done the right thing by the students in having Father Flynn transferred?

Essay Topic 3

There are so many ways in which doubt is raised throughout the course of the play. In Scene 5, we see a confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, and by the end the audience is left wondering if the battle is more personal than professional. What is your opinion on the confrontation? Is Sister Aloysius simply out to get Father Flynn because of personal differences, or is she truly concerned about his professional role with the students and their well-being? Provide examples to support your opinion.

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