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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. How does Weller plan to trick Fonsia in Act 2, Scene 1?

2. In Act 2, Scene 1, what is Fonsia's response to the name Weller calls her?

3. Who does Fonsia call for at the end of the play?

4. How did Weller lose his savings?

5. What inconsequential mistake in her card playing does Weller bring to Fonsia's attention?

Short Essay Questions

1. Towards the end of Act 2, Scene 1, Weller begins talking to himself. How is this 'craziness' foreshadowed?

2. How did Fonsia fear the lie she told to win employment would be found out?

3. Do you think Fonsia 'fed' Weller the Jack of Hearts in Act 2, Scene 1? Explain why.

4. How does the weather differ in Act 2, Scene 2 from other scenes? Why is it important?

5. What point is Weller trying to drive home to Fonsia in his relation of the Ty Cobb story in Act 2, Scene 1?

6. In the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Weller's temper is the subject of the players discussion. What is Fonsia alluding to when she says "I don't think I'm so much afraid of what you're going to do to me. I just don't know what's going to happen next..."

7. What does Weller mean when he says "people say exactly what the hell they mean- then they say, 'I was only kidding.'"

8. Given his behavior throughout the play, has Weller gone mad in Act 2, Scene 1?

9. Fonsia criticizes Weller for always blaming his failures on bad luck. How is this criticism true?

10. Explain the exchange of the sweater in Act 2, Scene 2. What could the exchange of the sweater represent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the wardrobe of the two characters change during the course of the play, and what does it represent?

Essay Topic 2

How does the poem 'As Leaden as the Aftermath of Wine,' by Alexander Pushkin relate to the play?

Essay Topic 3

Is Fonsia vindictive? Is Weller a failure? Please support your responses with examples from the play.

(see the answer keys)

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