5. Why does Dan rattle on during his conversation with Delia in the middle of the night in Act 1 Part 6?
(a) He is drunk.
(b) He is distracted by his wife's affair.
(c) He is stoned.
(d) He is nervous.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dan say the sign read when he woke up drunk in New York?

2. Which character says in Act 1, "The truth is in dreams and nightmares, but you haven't succeeded in getting that down?"

3. Which character won a national spelling bee as a kid?

4. Where is the dig site located?

5. Where does August say that his sister was "scraped off the street?"

Short Essay Questions

1. The Mound Builders is unique in its depiction of time. Explain the two different periods of time which are illustrated in the play and how this differentiation is made clear to the audience (and reader).

2. Describe how Delia's perception of the human eye as a child relates to her perceptions about the world today.

3. What has been discovered in Act 2 Part 1? Who tells about this discovery? What is the reaction?

4. What is the name of the ancient civilization that is being excavated in the play? What are some of the key characteristics of that society that are mentioned in the play?

5. In the opening of the play, August speaks into a tape recorder. To whom is he speaking and why?

6. Which character wishes he/she could see the future? How is this revealed in the play?

7. What does the rain represent in Act 2?

8. What fact about Jean's character does Dan ask that August not reveal to the others early in the play? Why?

9. What is a God-king?

10. How does August feel about "aesthetics?" Why?

(see the answer keys)

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