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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 does Dr. William Chumley do to Dr. Lyman Sanderson when he finds out they admitted the wrong patient?

2. Which character was selected to be the associate doctor at the sanitarium?

3. Throughout the dialogue between Myrtle Mae Simmons and her mother, what do we learn about their attitude towards Elwood Dowd?

4. What is the name of the main character's invisible friend?

5. What is the name of Dr. William Chumley's wife?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do you think that Ethel Chauvenet could see Harvey, given that he likes her very much?

2. Why is Veta Simmons trying to get accepted by the town's society folk?

3. What does Veta Simmons tell Dr. Lyman Sanderson that makes him think she's the crazy one?

4. What does Dr. Lyman Sanderson believe is Veta Simmons' motivation for coming to the sanitarium and telling him about Elwood Dowd and Harvey?

5. Why is Dr. Lyman Sanderson mortified when he learns that Elwood Dowd has been sent upstairs at the sanitarium?

6. Why do you suppose Elwood Dowd insists on introducing Harvey to everyone?

7. How does Elwood Dowd treat everyone on the sanitarium's staff?

8. What does Elwood Dowd keep trying to do over and over again, only to be interrupted?

9. Given Veta Simmons' reactions to Elwood Dowd and her daughter, do you think she truly disbelieves her brother regarding Harvey?

10. How does Myrtle Mae Simmons feel about her uncle?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Elwood Dowd comply with Veta Simmons' every wish regarding his mental health (admitting him to Chumley's Rest, administering the formula, etc.)? Why is it left to Vera Simmons to decide what happens to Elwood Dowd and, by extension, Harvey? Please support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Assuming that Harvey is real, as Elwood Dowd says he is, it creates an interesting theme in the play regarding how those with special knowledge (like Elwood Dowd) are treated by those without it (the rest of the characters). Looking at how the characters interact through this perspective, why do the other people in Elwood Dowd's life treat him the way they do? Are they feeling jealous, frightened, inadequate, or something else? Please support your positions from the text.

Essay Topic 3

By the end of Act 2, more people are beginning to believe in Harvey or at least admit there is something to Elwood Dowd's imaginings. Which characters hold some level of belief in Harvey by the end of Act 2, Scene 2? How is the audience brought into this circle of believers? Support your answers from the text.

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