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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 says "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away," after all the children are dead?

2. When the lights fade at the end of Scene 1, what shadows are left on the ceiling of the tent?

3. Zuss says that ______ will enable J.B. to see God more clearly.

4. When Sarah and J.B. invite the soldiers into the house, where do they go to sit and talk?

5. J.B. says that when he was a kid, the light of ______ was the light of God.

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the blossoms on Sarah's twig at the end of the play represent?

2. What is Sarah suggesting when she says that they "blow on the coal of the heart?"

3. What does Zuss do when he declares he's sick of the whole business?

4. How does Sarah compare J.B. and the children's views of blessings?

5. Why does J.B. tell Sarah not to ask each child if they thanked God?

6. What do Zuss and Nickles become instruments of at the end of Scene 7?

7. Who is Mr. Zuss?

8. How does Scene 2 reinforce the idea that this play, and the biblical story, are allegories?

9. What does Nickles' inability to find his mask represent?

10. What do the group of women and the young girl do when they first arrive on the stage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role do masks have in the play? What do they symbolize, and what is the importance of taking them on and off? Use examples from the play to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Using examples from the play to support your answer, respond to the following question: What is ironic about Satan's argument that God needs to see people as people and not toys? How does this argument relate to the central theme of the play?

Essay Topic 3

Who are the Three Comforters and what viewpoints do they represent? Support your answer with specific examples from the play.

(see the answer keys)

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