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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 Boy Willie tell Wining Boy that he wants to purchase?

2. What instrument does Boy Willie hope to sell to make a bit of money?

3. Which character is afraid to sleep upstairs alone?

4. Which member of the Sutter family desperately wanted the piano?

5. How does Boy Willie react to Berniece's claim that she has seen a ghost?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Berniece respond when she happens upon Boy Willie and Grace?

2. What reason does Berniece give her brother for wanting him out of the house?

3. What realization does Boy Willie make when he hears his heart beating as a "black man's heart"?

4. What does Avery tell Berniece when he comes to visit her while she is preparing a bath?

5. What trade was made between the Charles and Sutter families at Ophelia's request?

6. What were the effects of the lumber theft that the men in the play were involved in?

7. What reaction does the family have to Boy Willie's sudden arrival at their doorstep?

8. What religious rationalization does Boy WIllie have for the revenge he is seeking against the Sutter family?

9. How did Sutter attempt to reconcile the trade with Nolander and keep his wife happy? What was the reaction?

10. When Avery arrives with his Bible to begin the exorcism, what information does he give Doaker about the state of the new church?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The piano itself is arguably the strongest symbol in the entire play. Explain the history of the piano and briefly discuss why the physical structure of the piano can be seen as a symbol within the Charles family.

Essay Topic 2

The exorcism in the final scene of the play proves to be a powerful symbol for the way that the family has chosen to move forward. Create a list of three things that the exorcism symbolizes in the play. Choose two characters and explain how their roles were pivotal in the success of the final exorcism.

Essay Topic 3

The piano itself is arguably the strongest symbol in the entire play, standing in as a symbol for the Charles family as a whole but also for the members of the family as individuals. Choose one member of the Charles family and explain how the piano acts as a unique symbol for that character's storyline. Briefly discuss that character's relationship with the piano as a result of that symbolism.

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This section contains 924 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample