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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. To what position is Father Flynn assigned after leaving St. Nicholas?

2. Sister Aloysius says she will do what needs to be done even if it means what?

3. What does Sister Aloysius say Father Flynn is a disgrace to?

4. What reason did the woman give for her response to Father O'Rourke's second request?

5. In Scene 8, what does Sister Aloysius say will happen to Father Flynn after she exposes him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes the woman in Father Flynn's sermon to feel guilty about gossiping?

2. How is the sermon Father Flynn preaches in Scene 6 symbolic?

3. In the second part of Scene 8, what does Father Flynn say is the real reason Sister Aloysius is after him?

4. In Scene 9, why is Sister Aloysius glad that Sister James went to see her family?

5. In Scene 8, why does Mrs. Muller think she may have come to Sister Aloysius' office on the wrong day?

6. Why does Father O'Rourke tell the gossipy woman to take a pillow to the roof in Father Flynn's sermon?

7. What about the crow in Scene 7 reminds the audience of Sister Aloysius?

8. Why is does Mrs. Muller say that regardless of what Donald's trouble is at the school, he only needs to make it through until June?

9. What shocks Sister James about Sister Aloysius' call to Father Flynn's prior parish?

10. In Scene 9, what reason does Sister James give Sister Aloysius for being unable to sleep?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius both claim to act in a manner that protects and benefits the students at St. Nicholas. However, the ways in which they go about achieving this goal differ greatly. Discuss how each character tries to help the students. Why do their actions put them in opposition with one another even though they both ultimately want the same thing?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

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