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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. Who played the character of Dan in the original Broadway cast of Next to Normal?

2. What song does Dan sing accompanied with the Voices in Act 1, Scene 5?

3. What song does Dan sing as he tidies up in Act 1, Scene 11?

4. How old does Diana's doctor say Gabe would have been in Act 1, Scene 8?

5. Diana's doctor suggests that it is time for her to do what in Act 1, Scene 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. What song is performed by Diana and Gabe in Act 1, Scene 10? What does Gabe encourage Diana to do?

2. What do the members of the Goodman family sing about in the song "Just Another Day" in Act 1, Scene 1?

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

4. What is symbolized in Gabe's comment "I own you," in Act 1, Scene 8? What is revealed in this scene regarding his character?

5. What is the subject and style of the song "Superboy and the Invisible Girl"? Who sings it?

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

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

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

9. Describe the symbolic and metaphoric elements in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11. What object becomes important in these scenes and why?

10. Describe the structural elements which stand out in the first scenes of Act 1. How is musical improvisation used as a literary technique?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define the element of conflict in dramatic literature and discuss the conflicts between the characters in the play. What central conflict exists between Diana and Dan?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of sibling rivalry in the narrative. How is this theme manifested in the relationship between Gabe and Natalie?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting of Next to Normal. What are the time and place in which the action takes place? How is the setting evoked in the music?

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