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

Short Answer Questions

1. In the beginning of Act 2, Aaronow protests to Roma and Williamson that the company should do what with the good leads?

2. In Roma's list of hypothetical events near the end of Scene 3, what has just happened to the man who is run over by a cab?

3. What is the name of the lead that Levene closes?

4. What is the name of the units that Levene closes on?

5. What does Roma suggest people do to feel secure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

David Mamet's work is nearly always concerned with the idea of the scam. His characters are always scheming against other for their own gain, setting up systems that are rigged in their favor. Write an essay about the scams of this play:

Part 1) How is the business of selling this land a lie? Is the business these men engage in connected in any way to the dreams they promise their customers? Cite the interchange between Lingk, Roma, and Levene in Act 2 as evidence.

Part 2) To what extent is the company scamming the salesmen? Is there any way that these men can win in a system like the sales contest?

Part 3) How does Dave Moss scam both the company and his fellow salesmen over the course of the play? How does he keep himself free of risk, and how does his plan work in the end?

Essay Topic 2

In Act 1, Scene 3, Ricky Roma speaks at length about the world, fear, morality, and eventually real estate. Analyze this monologue, dividing your examination into three parts:

Part 1) In the beginning of the scene, Roma is engaging James Lingk in a frank discussion about moral codes. About what does he assure Lingk? What does he believe about middle-class morality?

Part 2) The body of Roma's, monologue concerns the things that drive human beings to fear full paralysis. What are these things? How does Roma free himself of them? How does he recommend Lingk do the same?

Part 3) What is the ultimate objective of Roma's soliloquy? How does he make this objective clear at the very end of the scene? How has the rest of the monologue been at service of this objective?

Essay Topic 3

The robbery is a major driver of plot in the play. Every character is either a part of the plot, affected by it, or both. Write an essay examining the relationship of three characters to the plot. Why do they becomes a part of it? What is their attitude toward its aims? How does their participation in it affect them, and what consequences do they face as a result?

Part 1) Dave Moss

Part 2) George Aaronow

Part 3) Shelly Levene

(see the answer keys)

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