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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 does the Servant say she is glad will never force her to have sex with him?

2. What is the name of Bernarda's oldest daughter?

3. What does Poncia come in with as the women mourners go out in Act 1, Part 2?

4. What do the bells announce the last of in the day in Act 1, Part 1?

5. Who are the only ones not to go out after the Servant comes in saying Bernarda wants to see her daughters in Act 2, Part 1?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Bernarda say must happen right away when talking to Poncia at the beginning of Act 2, Part 3?

3. What do Bernarda and the mourners make small talk about at the beginning of Act 1, Part 2?

4. How does the Servant respond to the Beggar Woman who visits Bernarda's house?

5. What does Poncia warn Bernarda about keeping a constant watch on her daughters at the beginning of Act 3, Part 2?

6. Why does Angustias run into the room angrily in Act 2, Part 2?

7. What does Bernarda suggest her daughters do during their eight years of mourning?

8. What does Poncia find when Bernarda has her search all of her daughters' rooms?

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

10. How does Bernarda's daughters react to her suggestion about what they should do during their eight years of mourning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the concept of propriety that is represented in the play. What reasons does Bernarda have for insisting on keeping up such ancient traditions in her family? What might the author be saying about Bernarda based on her treatment of propriety in the play?

Essay Topic 2

The character Bernarda is perhaps one of the most complex and intriguing presences in the play. Part 1.) What is the nature of Bernarda? Part 2.) What seems to be Bernarda's motivations for enacting such control over the people in her life? Part 3.) What trials might Bernarda be dealing with to account for her being so tyrannical over those living in her household.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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