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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. When the phone is answered in Act I, Part 1, what side of the stage is lit?

2. What does Mrs. Stevenson do as she waits for the operator to connect the call at the beginning of Act I, Part 2?

3. What precinct does Sergeant Duffy work for?

4. How is the Chief Operator described?

5. Where does Mrs. Stevenson tell the operator in Act I, Part 1, that a woman is going to be murdered?

Short Essay Questions

1. What instructions does the 1st Man give George about lights at the house?

2. How does Ms. Stevenson respond when the operator tells her in Act I, Part 2, that the number is busy?

3. How does Mrs. Stevenson react when the operator says she will dial Murray Hill 4-0098?

4. Why is the Chief Operator not able to trace the call for Mrs. Stevenson?

5. How is the Chief Operator described and what is she wearing?

6. What does Mrs. Stevenson tell the operator when she reaches her in Act I, Part 1?

7. What is George to do after killing the woman?

8. What does the operator tell the Chief Operator is the problem?

9. How does Mrs. Stevenson respond when George and the 1st Man begin talking in Act I, Part 1?

10. How does the operator get the attention of the Chief Operator?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The play was written in 1943. The plot of play is dependent upon how telephone calls were made in that time period. What elements of the play might be difficult for readers to understand? What elements are universal to all time periods? How does the fact that the play was written in 1943 affect readers and their understanding of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Mrs. Stevenson is the protagonist in the play. Describe the antagonist(s) in the play and their role in creating conflict and tension.

Essay Topic 3

Language used in a play might include dialects, slang, accents, colloquial language, or something else. How would you describe the type of language used in the play and how it contributes to the story and defines characters? In what way does the language affect the plot and flow of the story?

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