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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 is the person who is locked up in another room of the house said to be?

2. What does the Servant run out doing at the end of Act 1, Part 1?

3. Complete the sentence spoken by Bernarda in the play, "Yes, to fill my house with the ____ of their underskirts and their venomous tongues."

4. Complete the sentence by Adela in the play, "Sometimes she looks into my room to see if I'm ________."

5. What does Adela say she is going into the village wearing the next day after the funeral?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Adela says she needs to go for a walk in Act 3, Part 1?

2. How does Bernarda react when Poncia tells her that her daughters are the right age to be married?

3. What does Martirio say about the real reason a young woman won't leave her house in Act 1, Part 3?

4. Why does Poncia say the men on the patio gave her money in Act 1, Part 2?

5. How does Poncia suggest they could use the lace?

6. What is the nature of Maria Josefa's interaction with a lamb in the play?

7. What are Poncia and a Servant doing at the beginning of the play?

8. What do the sisters say they wish for when watching the reapers in the field?

9. How does Adela react when Martirio suggests she didn't sleep well in Act 2, Part 1?

10. What reason does Bernarda give to explain why Martirio had possession of Pepe's picture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters Bernarda and Maria Josefa in the play. In what way has Maria Josefa tried to escape the ploys of Bernarda? In what way has Bernarda tried to mother others as Maria Josefa might have in the past?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the play, one of the most common expressions of emotion comes in the form of jealousy. Part 1.) What seems to be the driving force for most of the jealousy in the play? Part 2.) In what way does the jealousy exhibited between the sisters in the play differ from typical sibling rivalry? Part 3.) What is missing in the play's characters' lives that hint at the reason for such jealousy?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's portrayal of morality in the play. What lengths does Bernarda go through to ensure her family's morality is kept intact? What reasons does the author have for presenting morality in such a way in the play?

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