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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 are the other reporters doing in the background as McCue is talking with the woman in Act 1, Part 1?

2. In Hildy's speech in Act 1, Part 3, what kind of life does he say a reporter has?

3. What does the appearance of Peggy and her mother hint of for Hildy?

4. According to Bensiger in Act 1, Part 1, what do the other reporters use his area as?

5. What does Murphy say the Sheriff and Mayor will get a lot of after the execution?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What interesting set of circumstances reveal the gun as the weapon used in the escape in Act 3, Part 2?

3. What major event happens at the end of Act 1, Part 4, and what surprising decision does it lead Hildy to make?

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

5. What does Louie report to Burns in Act 3, Part 1, and why is the response of the characters significant?

6. How does Hildy's behavior in Act 3, Part 1 contrast with the way Burns acts?

7. Who is waiting for Hildy at the end of Act 2, Part 1, and what decision does he now have to make as a result of his actions?

8. What does Hildy's speech reveal about his feelings towards the newspaper business, and what event in Act 1, Part 3 somewhat contradicts it?

9. What are the mayor's orders to the sheriff about Williams at the end of Act 2, Part 3, and what influences them?

10. What do the senator's quotes at the end of Act 2, Part 2 say about his feelings towards the mayor, and how does the mayor respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Act 2, Part 4, Mollie throws herself out of the window to protect Williams. That act affects the characters and the theme of the play in various ways.

1) Describe how Mollie's desperate decision affected Hildy, his situation, and the possible ways it may change how he views his upcoming decision.

2) Describe the way Mollie's actions affect the other reporters. What does it show about the possible dangers of their outlook throughout the play?

3) Explain the literary effect of Mollie's decision. Which techniques does it represent and why?

Essay Topic 2

What statement does the opening of the play make about reporters and the press in general? Use examples from the entire play to follow that statement and describe in detail if it changes or is reaffirmed.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the interaction between Mollie and the reporters in Act 1, Part 4. How is her character introduced? Do the authors make it clear from the beginning that she will be integral to the plot? What does Mollie say about Williams and the shooting and why is that significant. What do the reporters reveal about themselves by the way they interact with Mollie?

(see the answer keys)

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