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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. What is Mrs. Muller's response when Sister Aloysius says Father Flynn is after the boys?

2. What did Father O'Rourke tell the woman to do with the pillow?

3. What does Sister James tell Sister Aloysius she can't believe in Scene 9?

4. What was the gossipy woman in Father Flynn's sermon seized by?

5. What sin did Father O'Rourke say the gossipy woman had committed?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why didn't Donald's father want him to attend St. Nicholas school?

3. In Scene 7, why does Father Flynn say Sister Aloysius doesn't really care about the children?

4. Why does Mrs. Muller say that it was Donald who was punished for drinking the wine instead of Father Flynn being punished for giving it to him?

5. What is strange about Father O'Rourke's reaction to the gossipy woman's confession in Father Flynn's sermon?

6. 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?

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

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

9. In Scene 7, why does Father Flynn say that the truth makes for a poor sermon?

10. What does Mrs. Muller say is the real reason Mr. Muller beat Donald?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Scene 6 is extremely short, yet it serves an important purpose in the play. What is the purpose of Scene 6? Why does this brief scene work so well to achieve the author's purpose?

Essay Topic 2

Why does the author use the narrative technique of parables more than once in the play? What purpose does this repetition serve? Why is the play itself a parable? What characteristics of a parable does it have and what is the intended lesson?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of instances of compassion in this play. Compassion is displayed by characters we don't expect compassion from, and for characters we aren't certain deserve compassion. Write an essay discussing the ways in which compassion is used in this play. Who shows compassion and towards whom? Is the compassion warranted? From whom do we see unexpected compassion?

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