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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. At one point in this scene, Veta Simmons asks Myrtle Mae Simmons to verify what?

2. What are Veta Simmons and Ruth Kelly talking about?

3. How tall is Harvey, according to Elwood Dowd?

4. With whom does Elwood Dowd consult about a potential dinner with Ethel Chauvenet?

5. What does Dr. Lyman Sanderson claim about Veta Simmons' mental condition?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Elwood Dowd.

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

3. Why does Ethel Chauvenet react the way she does when introduced to Harvey?

4. What does Ruth Kelly fear about "accidentally" committing Elwood Dowd earlier that day instead of his "crazy" sister?

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

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

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

8. Describe the nurse, Ruth Kelly.

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

10. According to Veta Simmons, to whom did her mother leave everything, including the mansion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Given the bits of dialogue and sporadic moments of "belief" from Veta Simmons, do you think she has ever really seen Harvey or not? Please support your thesis with reasons based on the text. If she had seen Harvey, why does she wish Elwood Dowd to not see the creature?

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

Toward the end of the play, Elwood Dowd tells the doctor about his mother's advice: "In this world you must be oh, so smart or, oh so pleasant. I was smart. I recommend pleasant" in order to be successful. What do you think this quote means in the context of Elwood Dowd's character in the play? What does this reveal about Elwood Dowd and what he knows about himself and the world around him? Please support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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