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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. After Parker and Kress leave the furnace room, what does Pierce make Pavlo do?

2. What was the answer to Pavlo's question to Ardell?

3. What does Ardell first ask Pavlo?

4. What is Ardell's first comment when he enters the barracks, in Act 1, Part 4?

5. Where and when does this story take place?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Explore the ways in which Pavlo is made to feel helpless in this act. Theorize on the writer's purpose for creating these moments.

3. How is it ironic that Pavlo has joined the army in order to find his true, personal identity?

4. In what ways do the scenes where Pavlo displays helplessness give insight into the reasons for Pavlo's drive to become a better or "good" soldier?

5. What could be surmised about Pavlo's thoughts from his comments to Miller about wanting to be on the front lines in Act 3, Part 2?

6. What might "Jody" in the final military song of Act 2, Part 5 represent or metaphorically speak to?

7. Theorize on the effect that the two stabbings have on Pavlo in Act 2, Part 3.

8. Explain how Tower's instructions on chest wounds can be directly related to Pavlo's emotional wounds.

9. Pavlo believes that good soldiers are never helpless in any situation. How does this belief play out and dramatize itself in his experience with the Corporal and following scenes?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Explain how the line between delusion and reality in Pavlo's mind becomes increasingly blurred as the action of Act 2, Part 4 unfolds and what implications this has for the audience's possible hopes for Pavlo's survival or at the very least the hope for an acceptable demise. Cite at least 4 examples of moments where Pavlo reacts in accordance to delusion rather than in accordance with reality-based logic.

Essay Topic 3

As new characters are introduced, we begin to realize that many of their names may not have been arbitrarily assigned. That is to say that their names have metaphorical meaning in relation to the plot and setting itself. Write an essay exploring the possible meanings behind 3 or more characters' names in the play and how those names fit the characters' words and/or actions. Conclude by crediting these metaphors to a deeper understanding of Rabe's intention in naming these characters.

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