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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. Flan is shocked that his son lets Paul call him what?

2. What taciturn promise does Paul make the Kittredges and Geoffrey before the latter leaves?

3. What is the second prized item that Flan checks at the top of the play?

4. What metaphor does Sidney Poitier use to characterize the two American debates on life?

5. In what city was Sidney Poitier born?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kitty, Larkin, and the Kittredge's meeting with their children go in this section?

2. How does Paul succeed in taking Rick and Elizabeth's money?

3. Why does Flan repeatedly try to silence his wife's narration throughout this section?

4. What is sent to the Kittredges in this section and how do they respond?

5. Describe the humorous comparison Ouisa makes regarding Geoffrey's wealth.

6. What comparison does Geoffrey make regarding New York as he discusses dinner?

7. Why does Flan give Paul fifty dollars after Geoffrey leaves?

8. Why is the dinner with Geoffrey so important to the Kittredges?

9. What is Trent's ultimate plan for Paul?

10. What is the essence of Paul's thesis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paul's deceptions throughout the play are met with a combination of incredulity, rage, and sadness. Write an essay about the reaction characters have to Paul's crimes, in three parts:

Part 1) What does Dr. Fine think he is achieving in offering Paul the use of his brownstone? What emotions and social attitudes does the realization of Paul's betrayal evoke in Fine?

Part 2) Why does Flan react so vehemently against Paul and never waver thereafter? What does he think Paul's motivation is in lying to them?

Part 3) Why do the parents become obsessed with discovering the truth behind Paul's deception? Why do they go as far as publishing their story in the New York Times.

Essay Topic 2

Paul has a strange relationship with sex. Though clearly a homosexual by orientation, he does not pursue sex in the same way other people do. Write an essay on Paul's relationship with sex in two parts:

Part 1) Why does Paul have sex with Rick after their dance in the Rainbow room? Is sex a pleasure for him or a weapon? Does Paul think about how the experience will affect Rick when he propositions him?

Part 2) How does Paul explain his decision to bring a prostitute to the Kittredges' condo? Do either Ouisa or Flan understand his reasoning? How does the reasoning also explain why he will not have sex in prison?

Essay Topic 3

Ouisa Kittredge emerges as the protagonist of the play by the end. Write an essay analyzing the plot of Guare's play as a personal journey for Ouisa. What does she discover in her evening with Paul? Why is she so driven to find out his origins and where he is, and how does this drive bring her to promise extravagant things to him over the phone? What is Ouisa's state of mind at the end of the play?

(see the answer keys)

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