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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 is Hinkle ordered to do upon the realization that Pavlo is close to death?

2. How does Tower conclude his weapon drill in Act 1, Part 3?

3. What did Pavlo have thrown over him when he once entered the barracks?

4. What does Ardell instruct Pavlo on in the event of a gas attack?

5. What does Pavlo remind Tower of when told he had to follow through on his punishment?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the opening scenes of this play different than others? Plot-wise, hypothesize over the purpose of this style of opening.

2. Pavlo seems to respond to events in many different ways. Explain how his response to Pierce, when Pierce urges him to fight back, can be viewed as a highly perceptive and telling one for the audience about Pavlo's life views.

3. How are the depths of Pavlo's innocence defined in this scene?

4. The image of the closed coffin is the final component of the play's collage, the last piece of the puzzle that once was Pavlo's life. Describe it's effects, and comment on the general purpose of the play overall.

5. In the final section, Act 2, Part 5, in what ways does the playwright employ an anti-war message?

6. How does the playwright use both the inconsistent plot-line and paradoxical aspects of Pavlo's character traits to create an introduction that makes the audience want to watch more?

7. What can be deduced about Ardell's attitude and actions towards Pavlo in this part?

8. Theorize about the significance of the story Pavlo relates of the girl who seemed like a "robot."

9. Theorize about what Yen might represent to Pavlo beyond the opportunity for sex.

10. This is a play that bases its dramatizations of the main character's life by employing a "collage effect," scenes seemingly unrelated and presented in a somewhat random fashion but creating an artistic overall understanding of the plot. Explain how the scenes of this act add different perspectives to Pavlo's "collage effect."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

We see how both aspects to Pavlo's character, his innocence and his fear of helplessness, lead him to a re-definition of identity. Explain this is a thematically relevant aspect to his story using examples from the play.

Essay Topic 2

How are the play's three central elements - style, character, and theme - introduced vividly and succinctly in the opening scenes of this play? Conversely, what form of plot has Rabe employed, and what effect does it have on the audience? Use examples from the book to explain your thoughts, giving a clear outline of the chosen style of plot line.

Essay Topic 3

The argument could be made that Pavlo's willful and continuous acts of denial spring from a classic tragic flaw. In the same way as classical characters of potential greatness like Oedipus, Hamlet, or Macbeth are brought to destruction by flaws of character (pride, indecision, or ambition), Pavlo is conceivably a character of potential greatness deeply flawed by self-delusion. The counter to this argument is that we never actually see Pavlo's greatness, not even a glimpse of it. In fact, from the beginning, he is portrayed as both loser and lost, defining his identity through the actions and example of other people. Does this make him any less tragic, or does his death portray him as the definitive victim? Choose a side to argue and consistently refer to examples from the book to back up your argument.

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