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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 is the first major task the Old Man assigns to the Student?

2. The Student tells the Old Man that he is studying what subject?

3. The Student tells the Old Man that the Mr. Arkenholtz to whom he refers is which member of his family?

4. What is the Student's response when the Old Man asks him if he is wealthy?

5. When the Student sees the Girl for the first time, he says that she is "incredibly" (11) what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What claims does the Old Man make about the Student's father in Act I?

2. What mystery about the Milkmaid remains intact throughout the entirety of Act I and beyond?

3. What were the circumstances behind the second marriage between the Colonel and the Mummy?

4. What reaction by the Milkmaid causes the Student to become surprised at the beginning of the play and why?

5. What explanation does the Student eventually give to the Milkmaid about his disheveled appearance?

6. Which character in the play is characterized as having been born on a Sunday and why is this detail significant?

7. Provide evidence for the conclusion that the Student believes at least part of the Old Man's claim about the Student's father.

8. Why does the Old Man instruct the Student to reserve "a ticket for seat eighty-two in the sixth row" (6) at the opera?

9. What is demonstrated about the Student's character within his response to the Old Man's accusations against the Student's father?

10. From the Student's perspective, what does the house at the center of the play symbolize within Act I?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of The Ghost Sonata and one of the play's main messages. How does Strindberg make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Strindberg from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the messages sent about the theme of appearance versus reality within The Ghost Sonata.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,350 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample