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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 Jim tell the doctor about Charlotte in the fourth scene of Act 1?

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

3. What happens in "seven", according to what the other patients tell Jim?

4. What has Jim been depressed over?

5. How old is Dr. Kramer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the important discovery Jim makes about Ann at the end of Act 1?

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

3. What is Jim's theory about life and death, and why his suicide attempt should not been seen as selfish?

4. How does the nature of the theater and performing arts business during the 1950s lead Jim to believe that he will not be able to regain his former success?

5. How is Jim released and what does he tell Ann on the phone?

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

7. What name does Jim keep repeating, how does Ann respond to the name in Act 1, Scene 1, and what does Dr. Kramer tell her as the scene ends?

8. What does Jim tell Dr. Schlesinger about Ann, and how does the doctor respond?

9. What does Jim challenge Grosberg about, and what does it represent in terms of the way the patients are viewed at the hospital?

10. How does Jim exit Act 3, Scene 3, and what does Ann tell Dr. Bellman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dr. Barrow recommends to Ann that she question Jim when he first becomes conscious.

1) What is the doctor's reason for talking to Jim in a semi-conscious state? Why is it relevant to the type of information retrieved from him?

2) Using the information revealed later in the play, how do Jim's initial responses accurately confirm what the doctor stated? Why is this both ironic and symbolic of later events? How is Ann's response an indication of her true motives in the same way that Jim's response reflects his?

Essay Topic 2

Ann clearly has an agenda.

1) Describe Ann's character in detail, including the personality traits that you think are the most important, and how the author displays them.

2) Explain what Ann's objective is and why she is willing to act in extreme ways to attain it.

3) Why do you think Ann wants Jim to return to their marriage so badly? Describe the events in the book that might lead to the answer.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think the author's intent was for ending the play so tragically?

1) What is the message he is conveying with Jim's hopelessness? How is Jim's release from the hospital ironic? What is your opinion of the way Jim sacrifices everything in his life that makes him happy in order to live a life of restriction and control.

2) How is Jim's life with Ann similar to his stay at the hospital? Which one do you think is worse? Why?

3) What was Jim's role in the ending? How much of the responsibility should he claim for how his life turned out? To what extent is he a victim compared to a contributor? Why?

4) Was there another way to end the play where Jim did not have to suffer so much? If not, why? If there was, what could it have been?

(see the answer keys)

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