View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the start of the first hand in Act 1, Scene 2, Fonsia claims gin has what effect on her?

2. According to Fonsia and Weller, what does the Home lack more than anything else?

3. According to Weller, what are dietitians not known for?

4. Weller claims that what is 'a racket'?

5. How old is Fonsia's son?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the costumes of the two characters at the opening of Act 1, Scene 2 suggest?

2. What does the attire of the two characters suggest about their respective attitudes in Act 1, Scene 1?

3. What 'admiral... minor virtues' did Fonsia's father personify, and how do you think they might contrast with Weller's character?

4. How does Fonsia win the last hand of Act 1, Scene 1, and what might this foreshadow?

5. Prior to the deal being made in Act 1, Scene 2, how would you characterize this scene - as more of a comedy or a tragedy?

6. In Act 1, Scene 1, what does the condition of the stage setting suggest about the financial standing of the residents?

7. What health condition of Weller's is Fonsia becoming concerned about at the end of Act 1, Scene 2?

8. In Act 1, Scene 2, Weller states that "half of them are catatonic... and... the ones who do talk make you appreciate the ones who don't." Who is the quote in regards to, and what is it about the talking that bothers both characters?

9. In Act 1, Scene 1, what conditions find the two characters at the home?

10. What does the moment of faintness that Fonsia suffers in Act 1, Scene 2 reveal about the two characters?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The play is considered a tragi-comedy. How does the playwright balance the tragic aspects of the play with the comic?

Essay Topic 2

The play was first performed in 1976. How do the relationships between men and women, as exemplified by the characters in the play, reflect a broken system? More specifically, what outmoded social roles are followed by the characters and do they contribute to their animosity towards one another?

Essay Topic 3

What is the role of death in the play? What do the characters reveal about old age in the way they discuss it?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 775 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample