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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 of these characters is constantly being visited by a pooka?

3. In whom is Ruth Kelly interested?

4. Who does Elwood Dowd say that Harvey would like?

5. What is Elwood Dowd's outlook when Wilson brings him to Dr. Lyman Sanderson?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do we learn about Elwood Dowd in this first scene of the play?

2. When Veta Simmons asks Elwood Dowd to wait for her in the parlor, what do you think she wants to talk to him about?

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

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

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

6. What does Dr. Lyman Sanderson think is best for Veta Simmons?

7. Is the relationship between the nurse and Dr. Lyman Sanderson purely professional?

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

9. Veta Simmons explains to Dr. Lyman Sanderson that Elwood Dowd has some quirks, including drinking. What does this imply about Elwood Dowd?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is the potential relationship between Myrtle Mae Simmons and Wilson so ironic? Why does Veta Simmons react in the way that she does to the thought of her daughter dating Wilson? Please provide examples from the text where appropriate.

Essay Topic 2

Elwood Dowd's personality is a key component of this play, perhaps moreso than any other event that happens. He remains constant, no matter what is going on around him. What is Elwood Dowd's personality like? Do you attribute his state of mind to being apathetic or ambivalent to the people in his life or his surroundings? Why or why not? Has he truly discovered something that the other characters don't know? If so, what is it? Please provide support from the text.

Essay Topic 3

How do you think a Pooka like Harvey determines who can see it and who can't? List three people from the play that have different levels of interaction with Harvey (can see him, only see him sometimes, cannot see him) and how that affects their attitude toward Elwood Dowd's sanity or lack thereof.

(see the answer keys)

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