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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 the Mannon house remind Orin of when he sees it for the first time after the war?

2. How long are Ezra and Christine married?

3. What is Orin wearing on his head when he returns from war?

4. What does Captain Brant tell Lavinia happens to his father?

5. Lavinia thinks of Peter as a _________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What plans do Christine and Brant make when she comes to see him on his ship?

2. Who is David Mannon?

3. What does Orin say about the Mannon house when he first sees it, after returning from the war?

4. How does Christine die?

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

6. What does Christine accuse Lavinia of at the end of the first act of the second play?

7. Describe Ezra's death scene.

8. How does Christine learn of Brant's murder?

9. Why is Orin surprised by Christine's obvious grief over Brant's death?

10. What does Seth tell Lavinia about the French-Canadian nurse that he believes is Brant's mother?

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 how the setting and stage direction in Mourning Becomes Electra are as significant to the plot as the characters, giving five specific examples.

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

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