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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 beverage does Beatrice prepare for Nanny?

2. Who is Mr. Alexander Brougham?

3. What is Beatrice wearing when she makes her entrance in Act 1?

4. Beatrice is busy doing which of the following activities when the final scene in Act 1 begins?

5. Why is Beatrice sad after she tells Ruth the story of her recurring nightmares?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tillie want Ruth to keep her knowledge about Beatrice being a high school outcast a secret from their mother?

2. How does Ruth react to Tillie's performance in the school Science Fair?

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

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

5. What does Beatrice do to calm Ruth when she is hysterical?

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

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

8. Why does Beatrice not tell the truth to her daughters about her experiences in high school?

9. Describe Beatrice's appearance once she is dressed to attend the science fair.

10. What is the business scheme that Beatrice is preoccupied with in Act 2? According to Beatrice, what role will her daughters play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Zindel's play still relevant to today's reader? Why or why not? Would Beatrice's circumstances be any different in today's world? If the play were set in present time, would it be as plausible that Beatrice is so limited in her options? Would Tillie's interest in science make her a social outcast today? Why or why not? Today, would others (school officials, state agencies) be more likely to intervene on behalf of Tillie and Ruth, and to protect them from Beatrice? In what other ways is the play "dated"? Are there any aspects of the story or characters that seem to be specific to the time period in which the play was written?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Tillie's monologues in Zindel's play.

a) Compare and contrast Tillie's demeanor in her monologues with her demeanor in the context of her dialogue with Beatrice and Ruth.

b) What insights do Tillie's monologues provide the reader as to her inner world and motivations?

c) In what way do Tillie's monologues relate to the play's overall themes?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of life and death in Zindel's play.

a) Analyze the characters, the setting, and the story to uncover the ways in which death figures prominently in the play. What impact does death have on the characters?

b) What thing or person represents life in the play?

c) In the end, does life or death prevail in this drama?

(see the answer keys)

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