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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 Gross fear if he does not agree to the switch?
2. What does Gross' lack of Ptydepe knowledge signal, according to Lear?
3. What does Ballas ask Gross at the beginning of Act 1, Scene 4?
4. What style of writing best describes The Memorandum?
5. What is it about the letter that automatically irritates Gross?
Short Essay Questions
1. How do Stroll and Savant talk about Maria and what do they infer about Gross?
2. Why does Gross report to the Training Center in Act 1, Scene 5, and what is he carrying?
3. After all of the speculation throughout the play, what are the contents of Gross' memo revealed to be, and what effect does this have on him?
4. What is a Ptydepeist, and what is their purpose?
5. What important message does Maria give to Gross at the beginning of the second part of Act 2, Scene 9, part 2 about winning, and how does it apply to his situation?
6. What does Maria's locating a new job for Gross say about her as a character, and what does Gross' reason for staying with the company say about him as a character?
7. Describe two main methods that Ballas uses in Act 1, Scene 4 to get Gross to comply?
8. What does Gross' signature of the Ptydepe authorization set into motion?
9. What is important about Maria's gesture to Gross at the end of Act 1, Scene 6, and what is the irony in it?
10. How does Gross justify his situation to himself towards the end of Act 1, Scene 4?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In Scene 5 of Act 1, an important point is made with the correlation between Gross' pursuit of knowledge (the translation of the memo) and his lack of knowledge. This creates a never ending circle where no logical way out exits for Gross.
1) Explain in detail what the significance of the knowledge is to the play in general, and in the scene specifically. Also, describe the irony of Gross' situation. What does the fact that he cannot answer the questions correctly symbolize? His lack of answers also displays a lack of something else. What is it and is why is it important to the point Havel is making about bureaucracy overall?
2) Staying with the theme of knowledge, which characters are allowed to have it? Do they really possess it, or is it only a perception portrayed to the characters that are kept from knowledge? Why is this necessary for the people to retain their power?
Essay Topic 2
Maria's new independence provides an optimistic ending of the play for the audience. What does it symbolize, not just for the character, but also for the main theme of the entire play? How does her departure symbolize hope? What does it say about freedom in general as it relates to independence?
Essay Topic 3
The crucial moment of the second part of Act 9 is when the memo is finally translated for Gross. The contents of it are ironic, comedic, and inspiring all at the same time. Explain them in detail, describing why and how all three themes (irony, comedy, and inspiration) are represented. Also, explain what the significance is of Maria being the one to translate it. What does that add to the message for Gross?
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This section contains 1,240 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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