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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 reflective ballad does Dan sing in Act 1, Scene 5 about his son?

2. What tender ballad does Gabe sing in Act 1, Scene 10?

3. What word means lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid?

4. What drug does Henry give to Natalie in Act 1, Scene 7?

5. What multi-voiced, rock-textured ensemble number is sung by Diana, Gabe and others in Act 1, Scene 9?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How is the Goodman family portrayed in the first scenes of Act 1?

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

4. What is revealed about the character of Gabe in Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5?

5. What does Dr. Madden suggest to Diana in Act 1, Scene 10? Where does she go after she leaves his office?

6. What new doctor does Diana see in Act 1, Scene 8? What is revealed about her medical history?

7. What songs are sung by the doctor and Gabe in Act 1, Scene 9? What do they describe?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's use of irony and symbolism in Act 1, Scene 8. How is reality explored through the character of Gabe?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the relationship of Henry and Natalie in Act 2, Scene 2. What objective is each character seeking and why?

(see the answer keys)

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