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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. Who comes to the house, asking about Veta Simmons?

2. What does Veta Simmons try to get Elwood Dowd to do?

3. What does Veta Simmons tell Dr. William Chumley about her brother, Elwood Dowd?

4. What does Dr. William Chumley want to know about Elwood Dowd?

5. According to the phone conversation at the beginning of this scene, who has gone missing for four hours?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Elwood Dowd's reaction to the parcel brought out by Myrtle Mae Simmons?

2. How does Dr. William Chumley get escorted out of Charlie's Place, according to Elwood Dowd?

3. What does Ruth Kelly find out when she calls Charlie's Place to verify Elwood Dowd's story?

4. According to Elwood Dowd, how did Harvey get his name?

5. Which other characters do you think are starting to believe in Harvey by the end of this scene? Why do they do this?

6. With whom does Elwood Dowd speak to on the phone when he arrives home and what does he talk about?

7. What are some of the reasons Veta Simmons is visibly shaken up and disheveled-looking when she first appears in this scene?

8. Why does Elwood Dowd enter the sanitarium with flowers for Ruth Kelly?

9. When Elwood Dowd mentions to Ruth Kelly that he has things he needs to do, what is he referring to?

10. In his phone conversation home in this scene, what does Elwood Dowd want to know?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a strong theme throughout this play that contrasts belief (i.e., holding to things that are difficult to prove scientifically) and our need as humans for empirical evidence (scientific proof of things that can be perceived with the five senses). Pick three situations from the play "Harvey" by Mary Chase and explain which characters tend toward belief and which are looking for evidence with regard to Harvey. Do some characters change positions? Why or why not? Do you think that the author supports belief or science more? Please support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Given the way in which the play ends and the final attitudes of the characters, do you believe that, within the context of the story, Harvey was a real entity? Why or why not? Does Harvey have to be real in order for the play to be effective? Why or why not? Please provide examples from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

In Act 1, Scene 2, where Elwood Dowd is taken to the sanitarium by Veta Simmons, there is a lot of comic miscommunication occurring. All of the various characters have an incomplete understanding of the situation, which makes Veta Simmons' situation at once comical and tragic. Please find three examples from this scene about how poor communications can create very different results from what was originally intended.

(see the answer keys)

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