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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 what does Constance intervene?

2. When she begins to speak in perfect blank verse, what does Constance wonder?

3. What does the person who mourns do?

4. What causes gold to be derived?

5. Who tries to protect Desdemona from Iago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Iago and Othella reenact their fight scene?

2. What is the function of The Chorus?

3. What is happening as Constance arrives in Verona and what does she do about it?

4. What happens as Constance is reading OTHELLO from her complete works of Shakespeare?

5. How do Othello and Desdemona first react to Constance?

6. What does the Chorus do after delivering the monologue?

7. How does the Chorus appear and what is its first action?

8. Briefly describe the interaction between Constance and Professor Night and evaluate the interaction.

9. Why do you think Act 1 is titled "The Dumbshow"?

10. How does Othello reward Constance and how does his reward symbolically represent Constance's real life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA belongs to the genre of drama. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. What do you think is the definition of drama? Write out your definition and then look up the definition in a literary dictionary. How similar are the two definitions?

2. Drama is written with the intention that it will be performed. How do you think this influences the manner in which the plot unfolds, the dialogue, the set complexity, the number of characters, and the length?

3. Compare GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA to a short story. What are the differences? The similarities? Which do you enjoy reading the most?

Essay Topic 2

In Act 3, Scene 4, Romeo and Juliet, as well as Constance and other introduced characters are attending a masked ball. Masked balls used to be quite common in past centuries but have seem to fallen by the wayside in the 21st century, excepting perhaps Halloween. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Why do you think masked balls used to be so common? What do you think is the purpose of a masked ball--could it have had underlying socio-cultural reasons?

2. Why do you think Juliet's father would be putting on a masked ball to celebrate his daughter's wedding? Do you think this will help minimize fights between the feuding families?

3. Do you think you would enjoy a masked ball? Why or why not? What would you like about it? What would you dislike about it?

Essay Topic 3

An in-depth understanding of GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA partly hinges on understanding the corresponding characters from Shakespeare's plays Romeo and Juliet and Othello. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-organized essay using detailed examples from the text and your research to support your statements.

1. Compare and contrast the character of Desdemona from the plays GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA by MacDonald and OTHELLO by Shakespeare. Add a concluding paragraph as to which character from the plays is more interesting and has more depth.

2. Compare and contrast the character of Juliet from the plays GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA by MacDonald and ROMEO AND JULIET by Shakespeare. Add a concluding paragraph as to which character from the plays is more interesting and has more depth.

3. Compare and contrast the character of Romeo from the plays GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA by MacDonald and ROMEO AND JULIET by Shakespeare. Add a concluding paragraph as to which character from the plays is more interesting and has more depth.

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