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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. In Chapter 2, Mamet says that it's impossible to make a character what?
(a) Relatable to everyone.
(b) Carry a scene.
(c) Interesting in general.
(d) Narrate a story.

2. According to Mamet, what was his response to "lovely enthusiasts who will aver that the purpose of modern art is not to be liked"?
(a) "Let's get it over with."
(b) "Oh, grow up."
(c) "Get a life."
(d) "Learn a craft."

3. Chapter 1 deals with what element of the process of directing?
(a) Narration.
(b) Structure.
(c) Characterization.
(d) Storytelling.

4. Counterculture architecture was based on designing buildings based on what?
(a) The weather.
(b) How the architect felt.
(c) The setting.
(d) The natural surroundings.

5. The purpose of technique is to free the what?
(a) Creativity.
(b) Conscious mind.
(c) Unconscious.
(d) Dream life.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who said of American films that they were all "pictures of people talking"?

2. Mamet says that the house has to look like a house. The ______ doesn't have to look like a house.

3. According to Mamet, most movie scripts are written for an audience of what?

4. What is the main shot of any given scene?

5. Who did Mamet compare with Frank Capra in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the "School of Countercultural Architecture."

2. What did Mamet cite from the book, "The Uses of Enchantment" in Chapter 2?

3. Describe Mamet's discussion of understanding precipitation in architecture in Chapter 3.

4. What is the backdrop of On Directing Film? From what setting did the author base the text?

5. What is a "MacGuffin", and who coined this phrase?

6. What did Mamet write about drama school and film school in Chapter 1?

7. What writers and filmmakers did Mamet refer to in the Preface and Chapter 1 regarding screenwriting and film direction?

8. How did Mamet describe Eisenstein's theory of montage?

9. What did Mamet write regarding dreams and film in Chapter 1?

10. What did Mamet write in Chapter 3 regarding film with political agendas?

(see the answer keys)

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