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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. Who enters the room as Lewis and Warnie talk?

2. Lewis assures Warnie of what?

3. What irritates Lewis?

4. Lewis asks Douglas about whom?

5. Lewis says that life is what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Lewis and Warnie think before they meet Joy? How do Douglas and the adults react to the meeting?

2. How do Lewis and Warnie feel about Joy's impending visit to their home? Why is she coming?

3. What do Lewis and Joy discuss before she leaves? What does he ask her? What does Joy ask of Lewis?

4. What does Lewis say about pain, suffering, and love? What benefit does he believe that suffering has?

5. What does Lewis ask Douglas about that Douglas doesn't respond to? What does Douglas' lack of response say about the situation?

6. Who is present at the beginning of the scene? What are they discussing? How does Lewis respond to them?

7. What topic does the conversation turn to after Joy arrives? What does Riley do? How does Joy react?

8. What does Douglas ask Lewis about? What is Lewis' answer?

9. What do Lewis and Joy make plans to do? What does Douglas do as they are getting ready to leave?

10. What do Joy and Lewis talk about? What does Joy tell Lewis that she warns him about ahead of time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Joy's illness affect the characters in the play? How does she handle her illness? What message do you think the play has about illness and suffering?

Essay Topic 2

What illness is Joy diagnosed with? How does her illness change the dynamics in her relationship with Lewis and Warnie? What does Joy endure during her illness? How does Joy's illness end?

Essay Topic 3

In the first scene of the play, Lewis describes what is meant by "Shadowlands." What definition does he give to this term? Why do you think the play is titled by this? What meaning does the play give us for what the Shadowlands are?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 821 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample