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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 is the first soldier wearing?

2. What is Mother Courage's opinion of the commander?

3. What does Mother Courage compare mixing the slips of paper in the helmet to?

4. What does Mother Courage run with through the bombardment, giving her her nickname?

5. What does the sergeant claim is hypocritical of Mother Courage?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does Mother Courage think Kattrin will have an easy life as a wife?

2. Why does Mother Courage claim 60 hellers is a good deal for a cabon?

3. What affect does Mother Courage's performance of "The Song of Great Capitulation" have?

4. How impoverished has the country become as the cook, Mother Courage, and Kattrin follow the soldier through the winter?

5. What is the debate over the legitimacy of the villagers?

6. Why does Mother Courage hesitate to pay for Swiss Cheese's releases?

7. Why does the cook want Mother Courage to come to Utrecht with him?

8. Does the chaplain see a difference between war and peace?

9. Why does Mother Courage continue to talk with the sergeant and recruiting officer even though they are trying to recruit her sons into the army?

10. What is making the recruiting officer lose his confidence in mankind?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Brutality is viewed differently in war and peace. Choose from one of the three topics and discuss Brecht's attitude and the war's attitude towards brutality:

Topic 1) Brutality and Youth.

Topic 2) Brutality and Courage.

Topic 3) Brutality and Impulse.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss "humanity" in "Mother Courage".

Essay Topic 3

Virtue is valued differently in times of peace and war and is used as a commodity throughout the play. Discuss the purpose of "virtue" to the characters of "Mother Courage" and the play's statement of war as a whole.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 908 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample