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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 Lymon comes home from work and changes, what does he want to go into the city looking for?

2. What does Doaker do for a living?

3. What does Doaker believe is the significance of Sutter's blue suit?

4. Who teases Doaker about the women who are after him?

5. What does Doaker believe he sees Sutter's ghost doing, which he refuses to tell his sister about?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Boy Willie respond to Doaker's intrusion as he is attempting to move the piano?

2. How did the piano come into the possession of the Charles family?

3. Why does Avery believe that Berniece should start a choir in her home?

4. What does Wining Boy reveal about Lymon's father and Wining Boy's relationship with Lymon's mother?

5. How do Boy Willie and Lymon end up in Pittsburgh?

6. How was Lymon's father killed?

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

8. How does Berniece respond to Avery's question when he unexpectedly comes to visit?

9. What type of encounter does Boy Willie explain that he has had with the piano's potential buyer on his way home from Grace's?

10. Why does Boy Willie tease Doaker about his profession?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Music is another way for the Charles family to preserve their family history.

Part 1. Create a list of three scenes within the play during which music is present.

Part 2. Explain why the music of the play acts as a symbol of the Charles family history.

Part 3. Choose two characters from the Charles family and compare / contrast their relationship to music. This comparison could be regarding the piano music or the family singing.

Essay Topic 2

The railroads of the town are extremely significant throughout the play.

Part 1. Explain the symbolism of a railroad as it pertains to Boy Willie's life.

Part 2. Explain the reasons why the railroad is important in Doaker's life.

Part 3. Explain why the railroad has come to be an important element in the supernatural elements of the play.

Essay Topic 3

The text of "The Piano Lesson" is presented as a play rather than straight prose. What reasons do you think August Wilson had to present his story this way? What was gained in the form of stage writing? What was lost?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 889 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample