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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. In Act 1, Scene 2, what does Weller attribute the winning streak to?

2. What game is Weller playing at the opening of the play?

3. Why does Fonsia think Weller might have gone crazy?

4. After losing the first hand of only their second game, Weller is no longer concerned about what?

5. How old is Fonsia's son?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. What is Weller's immediate reaction to Fonsia's distress in Act 1, Scene 1, and what does this suggest about his character?

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

6. What is knocking?

7. What is it that you think is bothering Fonsia in Act 1, Scene 1?

8. How does Weller's choice of profanity conform to the opening action in Act 1, Scene 2?

9. Why might Fonsia have thought that 'this day' was going to be particularly bad in Act 1, Scene 1?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How do Fonsia's actions and confessions in the later half of the play diverge from the facade of her character in the first half of the play?

Essay Topic 3

Why is Weller so driven to play cards? Why is winning against Fonsia so important for him?

(see the answer keys)

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