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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. Lavinia tells Seth in the first scene that Captain Brant is coming to the house that night to ___________.

2. Orin teases Lavinia when he returns from the war that she is still _____________.

3. What song is being sung as the play opens?

4. As he is dying, Christine tells Lavinia that Ezra is ____________.

5. Who does Christine say she is visiting on her trips to New York?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Christine compare the Mannon house to Abe Mannon?

2. How does Ezra tell Christine he is feeling the morning after he returns from the war?

3. Who is David Mannon?

4. What condition is Orin in at the beginning of the third play?

5. How does Peter react to seeing Lavinia when she returns from her trip to the East?

6. Describe Ezra's death scene.

7. How does the war change Ezra's view about death?

8. Why does Adam Brant tell Lavinia he wants to kill Ezra?

9. What does Orin say about the war that shocks Christine, Hazel and Peter?

10. What news does Peter share with Lavinia in Act One, Scene One of Homecoming?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is love evoked throughout the novel as a justification for sins. What are the thematic implications of the darker side of love in the play?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the specific character parallels between the Greek tragedies and Mourning Becomes Electra. What are some of the significant differences between characters that give a different resonance to O'Neill's play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the symbolic significance of each of the following: The Mannon house; the song "Shenandoah"; the family resemblances and the islands.

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