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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Jim say when he becomes conscious at the end of Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) That he wants to die.
(b) That he wants Charlotte.
(c) That he wants a cigarette.
(d) That he wants a doctor.

2. How does Ann respond to the doctor's request that Jim be given his Last Rites?
(a) She is silent.
(b) She refuses to believe it.
(c) She becomes angry at the doctor.
(d) She becomes hysterical.

3. What does the nurse suggest to Ann in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) That she goes home to rest.
(b) That she starts remembering what happened to Jim.
(c) That she goes home to get the money for the visit.
(d) That she starts thinking of which relatives to call.

4. What does Ann accept from Miss Cardell while she waits with Jim in the second scene of Act 1?
(a) Water.
(b) Coffee.
(c) Candy.
(d) A cigarette.

5. What does Ann think about Charlotte?
(a) She has no idea who Charlotte is.
(b) That she may be able to help Jim recover faster.
(c) That she tried to kill Jim.
(d) That she is behind Jim's suicide attempt.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Jim's main profession?

2. Who is George O'Brien?

3. How does Jim appear as Act 2 begins?

4. Who does Ann originally share her concerns with about Jim's ability to leave the hospital?

5. How long does Ann tell Jim his new location will be for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Jim's mood in the last scene of Act 2, and why does he feel that way?

2. How does Jim respond to Dr. Bellman at the end of Act 2, Scene 4, and what do Ann and the doctor discuss?

3. How might Harry be able to help Jim, and why doesn't he?

4. What is a shrike and why did the author choose it for the title of the play?

5. What is Jim's mood like at the start of Act 1, Scene 5, and what does he learn about the convalescent ward?

6. How do the nurses interact with the patients in the beginning of the play and what does that illustrate?

7. What is Jim's outburst and how is it symbolic?

8. What does the time period in which the play was written have to do with why Jim felt the way that he did?

9. According to what Jim tells Dr. Schlesinger, what is the event that triggered his intent to end his life?

10. How does Jim handle Dr. Bellman in the fourth scene of Act 3 and why?

(see the answer keys)

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