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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 the sheriff say will never happen when the psychiatrist examines Williams?

2. What does Williams' escape from jail indicate for Hildy?

3. What does Louie inform the reporters his new job title is in Act 1, Part 2?

4. In Act 1, Part 2, what do some of the reporters think Louie is lacking?

5. What does the mayor want to know from the sheriff in Act 2, Part 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the press room in the beginning of The Front Page, and how it relates to the overall pace of the play in general.

2. What is the character of Woodenshoes like, and how is the interaction between him and the reporters significant in Act 1, Part 2?

3. What is surprising about the way Burns reacts to being arrested in the beginning of Act 3, Part 3, and why do you think he reacts that way?

4. How is the character of Hildy Johnson introduced in Act 1, Part 1?

5. What is interesting about the way both the mayor and the sheriff respond to what the messenger does in Act 3, Part 3?

6. What is the contrast in the way Hildy and Burns look at the same set of circumstances in the very beginning of Act 2, Part 5?

7. How does Williams meet Hildy in Act 2, Part 4, and what does he explain to him about the police?

8. Choose one reporter's account of the escape as an example and describe how it was relayed in Act 2, Part 1?

9. What does the way Williams escapes from jail reveal about the sheriff, and what is the sheriff's response to it in Act 2, Part 2 tell us about his character?

10. What impression does Hildy make in relation to his general character at the beginning of Act 1, Part 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think the Roaring Twenties was an effective setting for The Front Page? Describe what elements of the play would be different if it took place today. What advantages do the Twenties give the story as far as the plot is concerned? Were the characters more believable? How would they change in current times?

Essay Topic 2

The playwrights of The Front Page use the "layering of facts" technique throughout the play. Describe three examples of this technique in detail, explaining how it is used in each case, why the authors may have used it, and how effective it was.

Essay Topic 3

In Act 2, Part 4, Williams escapes from jail, causing Hildy to act on his reporter's instincts and choose to follow the story. Analyze his decision at that point in the play based on two factors:

1) Was the decision made purely out of instinct, or did he consider the alternatives, and consciously make it?

2) What is the association between Hildy's character and his decision? Based on the kind of person he is and the values he has, did he really have a choice? Why or why not?

Be sure to include specific examples from the play to support your opinions and analysis.

(see the answer keys)

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