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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 Mrs. Grant say about Hildy as she is getting into the cab?

2. Where does Kruger say Williams was seen while reporting the story to his paper in Act 2, Part 1?

3. What reason does Mollie give for seeing Williams before the shooting?

4. How do the reporters act when Jennie enters in Act 1, Part 3?

5. What does the sheriff threaten to do to Hildy in Act 1, Part 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the final scene between Peggy, Hildy, and Burns tie in with the theme of the entire play, in particular, how it relates to Hildy's decision?

2. What is the general attitude of the reporters in Act 1, Part 1?

3. What does Hildy insist on receiving from Burns in return for the story in Act 2, Part 1?

4. What request by the reporters is denied by the Sheriff in Act 1, Part 2, and how does the request itself depict their priorities?

5. What is one example from Act 1, Part 2 of the way the authors are portraying reporters as selfish people with only one agenda?

6. Through the exchange of dialogue by the reporters as they are calling in their stories, what new information do we learn about the hanging of Williams in Act 1, Part 2?

7. 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?

8. Where did Hildy get the money from, and how does it lead to the discussion about the money the other reporters owe him in Act 1, Part 3?

9. How does Williams surprisingly reply to Mollie in Act 2, Part 4 when she offers to escape with him?

10. What is the similarity of the way Burns treats both Hildy and Williams in Act 2, Part 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Hildy's actions in Act 1, Part 3 seem contradictory. Use a description of the events in the Act 1, Part 3 to illustrate the contradiction. Also, include possible reasons for it. What does it say about Hildy's character?

Essay Topic 2

The reporters are joking in the background of many acts in the play, displaying their cynicism as well.

1) Describe three situations where the cynicism or joking is illustrated and why you think the authors included it for those specific parts of the play.

2) Describe the time or times that Hildy also participated in the cynicism and joking, and why it was necessary to show that side of his character. What did it illustrate?

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the initial differences between Hildy and the other reporters, as they are displayed in Act 1, Part 3? Why are they significant and how do they affect the main theme of the play?

(see the answer keys)

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