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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. For how many months had Salima been asking Fortune to buy her the item he finally bought on the day of her abduction?

2. Christian reports to Mama that the pastor had been killed in retaliation for aiding whom?

3. Christian tells Mama that the police had told him to take what action when he called to report the pastor's death?

4. How did Beatrice die?

5. Who is standing outside of the bar when Scene 1 of Act Two opens?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Salima's living conditions during the five months she was held in captivity by soldiers.

2. What is revealed to be the fate of the missing pastor and who delivers this information?

3. What is ironic about Nottage's description of Fortune as being "like a centurion guarding the gates" (63)?

4. What instructions did the police give to Christian when he told them about the pastor's ultimate fate?

5. Discuss an instance when Nottage utilizes the motif of animals in order to underscore the brutality of war.

6. What proposition does Christian make to Mama in Scene 6 of Act One and how does she respond?

7. What action does Mama take immediately after accusing Sophie of stealing in Scene 5 of Act One?

8. What evidence does the audience receive about Christian's lack of sobriety in Scene 1 of Act Two?

9. In what way does Nottage use physical space in order to generate a particular emotion in the audience?

10. What does Mama tell Fortune in Scene 3 of Act Two as he stands in the pouring rain outside the bar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the topic of shame treated within Ruined and how does its treatment relate to the play's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Nottage’s play Ruined. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the play.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Nottage’s reasons for including Swahili phrases alongside the play’s use of English as its primary language.

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This section contains 1,022 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample