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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. Where was Molly planning on going, if she hadn't missed the train?

2. Who questions Loomis about his vision?

3. What does Selig ask Seth to make with the metal sheets he's brought?

4. Why doesn't Seth want to tell Loomis where Martha is?

5. What instrument does Seth play?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Martha say happened to her when Herald was taken away?

2. What is Jeremy's initial reaction to Molly Cunningham?

3. What is the significance of Bynum's asking Loomis if he's ever been to Johnstown?

4. What does Mattie tell Loomis when he says he needs to find a starting place?

5. What does Bynum say about to Mattie luck?

6. What is Molly's reaction to the death of Mattie's two babies?

7. What does Loomis ask about God?

8. How does Loomis act when he first enters in Act 2, Scene 2?

9. What warning does Bynum give Mattie Campbell?

10. When Seth and Bertha leave Mattie and Loomis alone, what does Mattie ask Loomis about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of women in the play.

1) Discuss Molly's attitude toward sex, money, and freedom. Where does this attitude come from? Is Molly healthier or happier than the other women in the play?

2) Discuss Mattie's reliance on a man in the play. Why does she need a relationship and children?

3) Discuss Bertha's role in the play. Why is Bertha always shown in the kitchen, cooking? What role does she have in her marriage with Seth? Is their relationship a healthy one?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the meaning of Eugene's pigeons in the play.

1) Why does Reuben keep Eugene's pigeons instead of setting them free? Why might Eugene want the pigeons set free after his death?

2) Why does Seth's mother's ghost come and force Reuben to free the pigeons?

3) What symbolism do the pigeons have in Bynum's rituals?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss religion in the play.

1) What is the significance of the washing in blood that appears both in Bynum's vision and in the end of the play? What religious significance does it have?

2) Compare the Christian religion of the characters to Bynum's spiritualism. What parallels do they have? How are they different? Where does each arise from?

3) Why does Loomis rail against religion? What significance is there to the fact that Martha followed her church away from Loomis?

(see the answer keys)

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