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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 the girl pull out from under her bed?

2. What does Danny think the incident may have done to Bernie?

3. What astrological sign do Danny, Deborah, and Bernie have in common?

4. What television show does Bernie reference when talking about Korea?

5. Where did Bernie and the girl meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sex advice does Bernie give Danny after meeting Deborah?

2. What is Joan's reaction when Deborah informs her she is moving in with Danny?

3. After they sleep together for the first time, what do Danny and Deborah agree to do next?

4. How does Danny attempt to pick up Deborah in the library?

5. What story does Joan tell her kindergartners?

6. While Bernie and Danny are shopping for Bernie's nephew, what secret does Bernie reveal about his childhood?

7. As Danny helps Deborah move out of her apartment, how does Joan behave?

8. Why is Bernie so offended by Joan's dismissal at the singles bar?

9. How is Act 26, when Danny is awake and Deborah is asleep, juxtaposed with the other scenes where they are in bed together?

10. During Danny and Deborah's all-night argument, what is the essential problem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the everlasting struggle between the Blue Heron and the Duck. What is symbiosis? Why are the Blue Heron and the Duck enemies? What has nature provided each of them to survive? How does their struggle epitomize the Law of Life? Why do George and Emil so identify with this? How could this struggle possibly applied to their lives? Use examples from the play to explain your answers.

Essay Topic 2

The Duck Variations deals with the impending, inevitable deaths of Emil and George through metaphors with ducks and nature. Do you think the playwright's metaphors were too thinly veiled to be interesting? At the end of the play, did you care about Emil and George? Is the play a discussion between two aging men, or the philosophic musings of a playwright? Do you think this should have been written as a play, or would an essay have sufficed to express the sentiments and questions posed? Examine some dramatic criticisms of the play and present your argument. Be sure to cite your sources.

Essay Topic 3

In The Duck Variations, how are George and Emil's personalities similar? How do they differ? How do George and Emil react to different topics in the play such as death, life, nature, and human society? Choose three variations in the play where George and Emil deal with an issue differently. Which would you say is the dominant personality? Why? Why do all their conversations center around ducks?

(see the answer keys)

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