View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What in musical theater refers to a musical number in which music, ideas and even some text are sung again some time after being sung the first time?

2. The song sung by Dr. Madden and Diana in Act 2, Scene 7 is a reprise of what earlier song?

3. How long is Diana's treatment set to last in the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1?

4. What song is sung by Diana and Dr. Madden in Act 2, Scene 7?

5. What refers to an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reaction does Diana have to returning home in Act 2, Scene 2? What song is sung?

2. What do Henry and Natalie witness between Diana and Dan in Act 2, Scene 8?

3. What is the conclusion of Diana's and Dr. Madden's disagreement in Act 2, Scene 10?

4. What reprise is sung by Diana in Act 2, Scene 7? What conversation takes place between Diana and Dr. Madden in this scene?

5. What song does Gabe sing in Act 2, Scene 5? What metaphor is used in the song?

6. What does Diana reveal to Natalie in their brief scene in Act 2, Scene 11?

7. Where are Henry and Natalie in Act 2, Scene 1? Why is Natalie distraught?

8. What does Natalie confess in the song "Next to Normal" in Act 2, Scene 11?

9. What interaction takes place between Henry and Natalie in Act 2, Scene 6?

10. What questions does Diana bombard Dan with in Act 2, Scene 8? What is his response?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Analyze and discuss the structural elements of the play and its transitions. How are these transitions reflective of the themes of the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 937 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample