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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. Which literary term defines Jeff's apparition?

2. Emperor Jones sees figures in the forest. What do they seem to know?

3. How long has Jones been walking at the beginning of the second forest scene?

4. Where have all the natives gone when the play is just beginning?

5. What is the throne in the palace made of?

Short Essay Questions

1. Contrast the vision Emperor Jones has in the fourth forest scene with the first vision he has.

2. Describe Emperor Jones' state of mind at the beginning of the third forest scene.

3. Before he sees Jeff, Emperor Jones surveys himself and assesses his plight. How does he feel about his situation?

4. How does the sound of the tom-tom change over the course of the second forest scene?

5. Describe the setting for Act 1, Scene 5, the fourth forest scene.

6. Describe how Emperor Jones changes his clothing in the fourth forest scene.

7. What does Emperor Jones do when he understands what the figure in the sixth forest scene's apparition wants from him?

8. What effect do the formless fears have on Emperor Jones?

9. What effect does Emperor Jones create by stripping off his clothes?

10. What happens between the prison guard and Emperor Jones?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Emperor Jones uses violence to solve certain problems in his life, but he is brought down by an act of violence himself. Compare and contrast his murder of Jeff and his murder by the natives. How are they similar? How are they different? Is one act of violence equivalent to another? Is one more or less just than the other?

Essay Topic 2

Does Emperor Jones simply get what is coming to him, or does he learn anything through the course of the play?

Essay Topic 3

Describe three things Emperor Jones is guilty about. Does he purge his guilt for any or all of them? Does he use different methods to purge his guilt over any one of the things he has done? Does he ever get free of his guilt or is he killed with guilt heavy on his conscience?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 729 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample