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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 Elwood Dowd do immediately upon arriving home?

2. Where does Elwood Dowd tell Betty Chumley about his location?

3. Where does Veta Simmons tell Elwood Dowd that Harvey is located?

4. Throughout this scene, who remains adamant that Elwood Dowd be locked up in the sanitarium?

5. Who seems most concerned about the character that's gone missing at the outset of the scene?

Short Essay Questions

1. What becomes clear about Elwood Dowd in this scene?

2. While Veta Simmons and Dr. William Chumley are arguing, what happens?

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

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

5. In one or two sentences, describe how the evening's events transpired, according to Elwood Dowd.

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

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

8. Veta Simmons and Dr. William Chumley argue a great deal in this scene. What in general is the argument about?

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

10. What is Veta Simmons' reasoning for why she was committed instead of Elwood Dowd?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the play "Harvey", Mary Chase weaves a theme about how humans need to hold onto their dreams. This is best articulated by Veta Simmons when she is speaking with Judge Gaffney in Act 2, Scene 1. Do you believe the author is trying to say that, although Harvey may not be real, it is important for people to believe in something beyond themselves that, ultimately, makes them better? Please support your thesis from examples based on the text.

Essay Topic 2

Describe briefly whether or not you feel Veta Simmons and her daughter were only putting up with Elwood Dowd and his invisible friend because he had inherited everything from his and Veta Simmons' mother, including the mansion? Please provide 2-3 examples from the text to support your thesis.

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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