View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Bynum say Jeremy's gone at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1?

2. What does Mattie say she's been trying to figure out about Loomis?

3. What is Bynum doing when he comes downstairs in Act 2, Scene 1?

4. What type of person does Molly ask Bynum if he is?

5. What does Seth apologize to Molly for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the losing of the self in the play.

1) How does Loomis lose himself and his identity in the play? Why can't he reclaim it?

2) What is the significance of a person's Song, as Bynum describes it, and how does losing one's Song equate to losing one's self?

3) How can characters find themselves? Which characters are still lost at the end of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss loneliness in the play.

1) Mattie is lonely and starts a relationship with Jeremy to combat loneliness. Why does she agree to this relationship? Why can't she overcome her loneliness?

2) How does Loomis deal with being alone? How does Bynum deal with being alone?

3) Does a society of friends or companions fulfill loneliness in the play, or can only a love relationship fulfill loneliness? What role does spirituality play in fulfilling loneliness?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss enslavement in the play.

1) What different types of enslavement are there in the play? How is Bynum's binding an enslavement? Is being in a relationship enslaving? Is religion enslaving?

2) In what ways is Loomis still enslaved by his seven years' labor for Joe Turner? What long-term effects does enslavement have on the characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 320 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample