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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 far away was Emperor Jones' would-be assassin when the gun misfired?

2. Where does Emperor Jones go at the end of this first scene outside the palace?

3. Why was Emperor Jones foolish to have fired his gun in the forest?

4. What does Jones do when he appears at the beginning of the third forest scene?

5. What does Emperor Jones tell himself at the beginning of the third forest scene?

Short Essay Questions

1. What irony does Smithers point out in the final scene?

2. Describe Emperor Jones' state of mind in the second scene.

3. Describe Jeff's appearance in the second forest scene.

4. Some of Emperor Jones' apparitions are racial memories. What does this conclusion say about the state or the future of the black race?

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

6. How does Emperor Jones' appearance change in the third forest scene?

7. How is Emperor Jones different in the palace than he was when he was in America?

8. What is the significance of Emperor Jones' clothing in the fifth forest scene?

9. In what way is Emperor Jones' situation ironic?

10. Describe the setting for the first scene of the play.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the different justifications for authority in Emperor Jones? Does the play shift from one kind of authority to another? Citing specific examples from the script, describe the different claims to authority in Emperor Jones.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Citing specific instances from the text, describe three literary devices O'Neill uses in Emperor Jones. These might include foreshadowing, characterization, symbolism, dialect, metaphor, etc. How does the literary device appear in the play? How does it enhance the plot, building the play toward a crisis and then resolving that crisis?

(see the answer keys)

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