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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The character who is most unbending about his or her religious beliefs is:

2. When Act II opens, what is the time of day?

3. When Pegeen rushes out to tend to her sheep crisis, what does Shawn offer to Christy to leave?

4. What Christy offer the Widow Quin if she will help him win Pegeen?

5. Christy tells the girls and the Widow Quin that his father wanted him to:

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the characters who act with caution and those who act upon impulse in the play. Write an essay in which you consider:

1) What effect do acts of caution and impulse have on the events of the play?

OR

2) Which characters seem happier in the play: those who act with caution, or those who act upon impulse.

OR

3) Which characters are portrayed as cautious and which are portrayed as impulsive. Why might the author portray them this way?

Be sure to use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the motif of unknown and unseen dangers in The Playboy of The Western World. Write an essay in which you:

1) Examine the characters' various reactions to unknown and unseen dangers.

OR

2) Examine the possible effects of the motif on the events of the play.

OR

3) Consider the significance of the motif on the theme of the play.

Essay Topic 3

The villagers in Synge's play mention religion often. Write an essay in which you:

1) Identify any ironies between the villagers proclaimed religious beliefs and their behaviors.

OR

2) Identify 3 examples in the play where religion influences the actions or dialogue of a character, and describe their significance to the events of the play.

OR

3) Identify Synge's attitude toward religion using 3 examples of religion's influence over characters and events in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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