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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. What does Gabe say in Act 1, Scene 8, indicating that he is alive not only to Diana, but in other ways to Dan and Natalie too?
(a) "I live on."
(b) "I cannot be forgotten."
(c) "I own you."
(d) "You remember."

2. What hard-driving rock tune does Diana sing in Act 1, Scene 11?
(a) "Why Stay".
(b) "How Could I Ever Forget".
(c) "A Light in the Dark".
(d) "Didn't I See this Movie".

3. What refers to anything, as an act or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions?
(a) Antagonist.
(b) Trigger.
(c) Conflict.
(d) Catalyst.

4. In the ending of Act 1, Scene 11, Gabe appears and watches as Diana gives what to Dr. Madden?
(a) Consent forms.
(b) Test results.
(c) A urine sample.
(d) Personal belongings.

5. From what mental illness does the protagonist of Next to Normal suffer?
(a) Schizophrenia.
(b) Bipolar Disorder.
(c) Dyslexia.
(d) Multiple Personality Disorder.

Short Answer Questions

1. Dr. Madden appears in Act 1, Scene 10, commenting as he makes a report that Diana has done what?

2. What word (in a dramatic or literary work) refers to a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot?

3. Who appears to ask Dan why he didn't take her to the hospital in Act 1, Scene 11?

4. What song does Diana, Natalie and Gabe sing in Act 1, Scene 7?

5. How many Tony Awards did Next to Normal win the year it was nominated for eleven awards?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of hope and light symbolized in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11?

2. What does Diana reveal to Dan in Act 1, Scene 6? What song does she sing in this scene?

3. How is Gabe different as a character from the others in Act 1, Scenes 1-3?

4. What music opens Act 1, Scene 2? What does Natalie sing about in this song?

5. What song does Dan sing to Diana about their son in Act 1, Scene 5? What does the song reveal?

6. What does the song "I'm Alive" relate to in Act 1, Scene 8?

7. What does Dan sing about in the song "It's Gonna Be Good"? Where is he?

8. How is the music used in expressing the inner thoughts of the characters in Act 1?

9. What is sung about and by whom in the songs "Who's Crazy" / "My Psychopharmacologist and I"?

10. Describe the central themes in Next to Normal. What does the story of the play revolve around?

(see the answer keys)

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