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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 does Rose say in response to Troy's comment that she's supposed to come when she's called?

2. After Lyons and Bono leave, Cory comes home angry with his father for what?

3. What does Troy do after he talks about still having strength left to have sex with Rose?

4. What is Lyons actually doing when he puts his hand in his pocket?

5. When Cory answers Troy's question about whether he's just come home with "yeah," what does Troy remind him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Under what circumstances did Gabriel receive the injury which resulted in a metal plate being placed in his head?

2. When he comes home for Troy's funeral, what does Cory find out that Lyons has been doing over the last few years?

3. What does Troy say in response to Rose's comment that their son Cory is being scouted by a recruiter?

4. What does Troy say in response to Rose's comment on a neighbor who won some money playing the lottery?

5. Why did the hospital call Troy after Alberta's death?

6. When Troy and Bono come home after Cory has left for the game, why are they celebrating?

7. When Cory answers a question about school by simply saying "yeah," what does Troy say to Cory?

8. Why does Troy say that it doesn't matter that he doesn't have a driver's license?

9. What does Gabriel do at the end of the play?

10. What does Troy say when Rose wonders who's going to bury Alberta?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Troy's attitude toward responsibility. Explain in detail what actions Troy takes in the play based on the importance he places on acting responsibly.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the structure of the play, examining the time frame during which the play is set. How does Wilson alert the audience/reader to the passage of time from scene to scene? In your analysis, include your ideas about why Wilson made the decision to start the play when Cory was a high school student and end it nearly eight years later. Discuss the ways changes in other characters could only have been accomplished by using that time frame.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Rose's decision to raise the baby Troy fathered with another woman. In what way is her decision a reflection of her characteristics throughout the play? In what way does her decision change her relationship with Troy? In what way does her decision change her life both positively and negatively?

(see the answer keys)

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