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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 Bunny call Artie's songs in order to cheer him up?

2. How is the symbolic colorization in the Prologue physically represented on stage?

3. When does the play begin?

4. What is Artie eager for that he expresses to the audience in the beginning of The House of Blue Leaves?

5. What does Bunny promise to do for Artie when they reach California?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what Artie is doing in the play's Prologue.

2. What is the story the Three Nuns tell Artie when he lets them into his apartment?

3. Bananas asks Billy to stay with her in the apartment, but what does Billy suggest instead?

4. 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?

5. Why do the nuns and Ronnie rush to Corrinna when she announces she has two tickets to see the Pope at Yankee Stadium?

6. What is another significant symbol introduced in Act I, Scene I?

7. What is noted in the Prologue that will happen with Artie's dreams?

8. Why does Bunny give Bananas guide books to Mexico?

9. Why is the Pope addressing the United Nations?

10. What is the condition Artie gives Bunny if she wants him to accompany her to see the Pope?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Artie sets the precedent in the Prologue for talking directly to the audience, which the rest of the characters do throughout the play. Nontraditional in plays until The House of Blue Leaves, discuss the significance of breaking the fourth wall and its significance to this play. Without this tactic, would the play be the same? Use specific information and quotes from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

All of the characters in The House of Blue Leaves are connected by the desire to be acknowledged. Write a paper based on this point and connect each of the characters, showing their similarities and the basic human element that causes them to desire acknowledgment. Use specific examples and quotes from the play to support your response.

Essay Topic 3

What happens when the line between reality and dreams is blurred? Using characters and scenes from The House of Blue Leaves, answer this question. Use specific information and quotes from the play to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample