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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 will be revealed about Artie over time as the play progresses?

2. What does the character on stage at the beginning of the play repeatedly try to get the audience to do?

3. When Bunny rushes into the room after Artie and Bananas pray, what is she excited about?

4. Who looks out of the bedroom at Artie and Bunny while they are talking?

5. Who could Bananas' dream be a foreshadowing of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Prologue do?

2. Where is Ronnie at the opening of Act II, Scene I, Part I?

3. After Artie tells Bananas about a house he found on the East Coast that she can live in, what is Bananas scared of?

4. What is the second box that Ronnie returns from the bedroom with?

5. How does Corrinna die by the end of Act II, Scene I, Part II?

6. What does Artie do in the Prologue that all of the other characters will also do?

7. When Artie steps into the spotlight at the end of the play, what does he sing about?

8. In his story, Ronnie explains that Billy came to Queens; what was Billy doing?

9. How does the blue spotlight characterize Artie in the Prologue?

10. Billy explains to Artie that it is better when he imagines Artie in the audience than for Artie to actually be there. Is this reasonable?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is the Pope such a significant, but unseen character in The House of Blue Leaves? What does he symbolize and why are these characters chasing after him? What do they ultimately want? Construct a thesis driven paper using specific information and quotes from the play to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Dreams appear numerous times in The House of Blue Leaves, either from Artie or Bananas. Discuss some of these two characters' dreams and why they are in the play. What is their significance? What do they reveal about the characters to the audience? Are they necessary to the play's narrative? Cite specific information and quotes from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The blue spotlight is shown at two times during the play: the Prologue and the final scene. They both shine on Artie when he is alone and singing; however the two scenes are significantly different in their tone and and meaning. Write a thesis driven paper that gets at the heart of the difference between these two scenes and what the blue spotlight means in each of them. Essentially, what is the difference between the Artie in the Prologue and the Artie at the play's end? Use specific information and quotes from the play to support your response.

(see the answer keys)

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