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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 does Carol pass to Val after he sings?

2. What does Carol tell Val she's not allowed to do?

3. What did the letters from Val's woman friend say?

4. What does Val offer to Lady in Act 1 Scene 2?

5. What is gilded on the window of the set?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what time and place is Orpheus Descending set?

2. What conversation does Lady have with the Nurse about Jabe's illness in Act 3 Scene 3?

3. Describe the set of Orpheus Descending.

4. How does Lady hear that Val is leaving town? What is her response?

5. Who is Vee? How has she met Val?

6. What have the Town Women gone upstairs in Lady and Jabe's house for? What do they remark about it?

7. What does Lady say to Val about opening the confectionery in Act 3 Scene 3?

8. What does Talbott tell Val before he leaves in Act 3, Scene 2?

9. Describe the character of Uncle Pleasant. What does he look like? What does he say when he enters in Act 1?

10. Why does Lady enter panicked at the beginning of Act 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of Rebirth in Orpheus Descending. What symbols represent this theme? What motifs exemplify it? What imagery?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the component of racism in Orpheus Descending. How does it play a role in the action of the play? How does the element of race lend in defining certain characters?

Essay Topic 3

How is Tennessee Williams' own life reflected in Orpheus Descending? What major themes are common in Williams' work and why does he repeat these themes? How do they relate to the author's experiences?

(see the answer keys)

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