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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. Why does Flan need to call his lawyer at the end of this section?

2. What does Geoffrey say amazes him about New York in his first line?

3. When Paul enters the scene, where does he announce that he attends school with the Kittredges' daughter?

4. What did Paul's muggers take from him in addition to his wallet?

5. Where does Ouisa speak to to Sidney Poitier in her dream?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What story do Flan and Ouisa send the New York Times?

3. During the opening moments of the play, what do Ouisa and Flan do onstage?

4. What does Paul say happened to him in the Park?

5. How does Paul describe his father in this section?

6. What story do Larkin and Kitty tell in this section?

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

8. How does Paul explain the naked man to Flan and Ouisa?

9. What are the Kittredges doing the night that Paul finally calls them?

10. What does Sidney Poitier say to Ouisa in her dream?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The Kandinsky in the Kittredge condo is the central symbolic image of the play. Write an essay about the significance of this image. What theme do its opposite sides symbolize? How does the opposing control and wildness of the painting manifest itself in the action onstage? How do you interpret Paul's cryptic final words?

Essay Topic 3

The very title of Guare's play indicates that it is concerned in large part with the interconnectedness of our world. Write an essay about the theme of interconnectedness. How does Paul's arrival into the Kittredges' lives draw attention to their place in society? How does this lead Ouisa to consider the six degrees? What connections create this meeting and what new connections does it create?

(see the answer keys)

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