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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Jean asks Delia in Act 1 Part 5 if she happens to have what?
(a) A globe.
(b) A shovel.
(c) A tarot deck.
(d) A mirror.

2. In Act 1, Dan says "A person isn't happy unless ________."
(a) They have died.
(b) They're building something.
(c) They're married.
(d) They have a legacy.

3. What does Delia say in Act 1 that she is frantically beating the bushes for?
(a) Herself.
(b) Her sight.
(c) The truth.
(d) Something to believe in.

4. Where does August say that his sister was "scraped off the street?"
(a) Cleveland.
(b) Eastern Asia.
(c) Chicago.
(d) Africa.

5. Which character says, in Act 1, "We'd be working somewhere else if our work here wasn't important?"
(a) Dan.
(b) August.
(c) Cynthia.
(d) Jean.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who comes in with a flashlight and discovers Delia in the living room in Act 1 Part 6?

2. What is Jean called as a child?

3. Who quotes Aztec poetry in Act 1?

4. Why does August have to go to the airport in Act 1?

5. What does August say that they were racing against early in Act 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which character has a history of miscarriages in his/her family? How has that affected this character?

2. Who is the character named Chad? How does he relate to the other characters in the play? What is his position in relation to the house and the excavation site?

3. What elements of Delia's character are revealed before she appears in the play? What literary term is defined by its use to provide background and inform the readers about the plot, character, setting, and theme of the essay/story?

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

5. What does Delia compare her book to? Why?

6. What does the rain represent in Act 2?

7. Who is Professor August Howe? How old is he? What is his profession?

8. What is the overall theme of The Mound Builders? How is this theme portrayed?

9. Which character was created by Lanford Wilson for the actor Tanya Berezin? Why?

10. Who's character studied books written by Delia in college? How did he/she feel about those books?

(see the answer keys)

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