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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. How does the troupe respond as Lemml speaks in poor German?

2. As the troupe sings a song that ends with a kickline, they begin dressed as what?

3. Who does the judge blame for the content of The God of Vengeance?

4. In 1908, Berlin: Opening Night, The Last Moments of the Play, Yekel speaks what lines?

5. 1911, St. Petersburg is a repeat of the last few lines of the play, minus what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Rabbi Silverman's response to the cast being arrested?

2. Why does Schildkraut fire Reina?

3. What is the role of Benjamin Baillie?

4. What does Madje ask Sholem in this section about why the authorities might stop the show?

5. What is the response to Virginia's acting?

6. What is the doctor's recommendation to Sholem?

7. In 1923: Opening Night on Broadway, Intermission, why are the Aschs shocked?

8. What is the court's verdict?

9. What is Rabbi Silverman's response regarding plays like The God of Vengeance?

10. What is the reason Eugene O'Neill gives for why the play is such a problem for the authorities?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sholem Asch says that this play is part of his soul, while the men in the salon encourage him to write about things he knows. Why might Asch choose to write about lesbian romance between a virgin girl and a prostitute? How and why might this be important to him? What clues are given in the play to explain why this subject matter was so important to him that he needed to share it with the world?

Essay Topic 2

Dorothee admits to Reina that she would not have minded being jailed for a show she believed in. How does Dorothee feel about the Broadway production of The God of Vengeance? Why does she feel that way? If the play had been left as it was written, would there have been a different outcome regarding the obscenity trial? Why or why not? Should the play have been altered so drastically? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Both Yiddish and English are spoken or used as subtitles throughout the play. How does this add to the play and the culture of the characters? How does the use of Yiddish from the very beginning of the play help to set the scene? The playwright describes the use of dialects to distinguish the understanding of English from one character to another. Do you find this to be a creative and useful way to show this distinction? Why or why not? Why might the playwright have decided to put so much focus on language in this play?

(see the answer keys)

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