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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. Who says that Tillie and Ruth are misfits?

2. Beatrice states that she wishes she had completed her education in which of the following fields?

3. Which character says that she receives fifty dollars a week?

4. Ruth has one of the following problems:

5. What kind of animal is kept in the wire cage in the front left room?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the explanation that Ruth gives Mr. Goodman for her sister's absence from school?

2. What excuse does Beatrice give to Mr. Goodman for keeping Tillie home from school?

3. Describe Nanny's physical appearance.

4. What prevents Tillie from burying the rabbit upon discovering that it is dead?

5. How would you characterize Janice Vickery's presentation at the science fair? What does this scene do for the mood of the play?

6. Compare Ruth's attitude toward Tillie at the beginning of Act 1 to the end of Act 1.

7. What is the history folder, and what information does it contain?

8. Why does Beatrice refuse to allow Tillie to call the doctor when Ruth falls into a seizure?

9. What is Beatrice's opinion of Nanny's daughter? Why do you think she has such strong feelings about her?

10. What happens to Ruth after she learns of the rabbit's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Beatrice a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

a) What is the root cause of Beatrice's bitterness and caustic behavior?

b) Does Beatrice demonstrate signs of mental illness? How might this explain her abusiveness toward her daughters?

c) Is Beatrice more of a danger to herself (self-destructive) than she is to others? Why or why not?

c) In what ways do Beatrice's insecurities impact her daughters?

Essay Topic 2

Loneliness and isolation are a recurrent theme in Zindel's play. How is this theme developed in Act 1 and Act 2?

a) Analyze the play's setting, the Hunsdorfers' home. In what ways does it reinforce the theme of loneliness and isolation?

b) Analyze the characters of Beatrice, Tillie, Ruth, and Nanny. How is each one afflicted with loneliness and isolation?

Essay Topic 3

In what way do dreams influence and inform the characters in Zindel's play?

a) Discuss Ruth's nightmare about Mr. Mayo. What kind of impact does this nightmare have on Ruth?

b) Discuss Beatrice's nightmare about riding the horse wagon into a silent neighborhood. Why does this dream frighten Beatrice?

c) Discuss the theme of shattered dreams in the play. Which character or characters has dreams that are never attained? What effect does this have on this character?

d) Which character or characters have given up on their dreams? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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