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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 a 'leg' considered in scoring gin?

2. How many kids does Weller have?

3. Who is the luckiest person Weller has ever seen play gin?

4. What does Weller blame his relationship with his children on?

5. How long has Fonsia been at the home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What new and combative aspect in the interaction between the two characters takes place upon Fonsia winning the hand with Queens in Act 1, Scene 2?

2. What confession does Weller make about himself as it relates to his interaction with the family of Gladys Mayes?

3. 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?

4. At the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2, Weller's actions contrast his earlier behavior and his current dress. How so, and what does this suggest about him?

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

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

7. Why don't "we have to worry about [Fonsia's] memory any more?"

8. What is the simple truth about old age homes - a truth not even wealth can correct, according to Weller? How might the two characters thwart this truth?

9. Towards the end of Act 1, Scene 2, Weller begins misinterpreting what Fonsia says. How do these misinterpretations move the play?

10. What do you think is Weller's opinion of the other residents of the home after reading Act 1, Scene 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fonsia relates her phobia of misspelling words when she was an apartment manager. What does this story say about her, and is there any truth to Weller's criticism of her for holding this fear?

Essay Topic 2

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

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 777 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample