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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. The Man says he is accustomed to what?

2. In Scene 1, the Woman reveals that she does not have many what?

3. What does the Man get out to look at in Scene 4?

4. How does Scene 1 conclude?

5. What does the Woman say happens when she takes care of her flowers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Man look at at night in the fourth scene, and what does this imply about his feelings?

2. What is the Woman staring at that makes the Man joke about, and what is the Woman's response?

3. What does the Man say about the Woman's flute playing and his knowledge of music?

4. What does the the Man say in Scene 9that the Woman has transformed and how does this affect him?

5. What does the Woman tell the Man she creates?

6. What is the significance of what the Man takes out of his pocket in the sixth scene?

7. What is the Woman doing for the Man, and what does he say in the beginning of Scene 8?

8. How does the Scene 8 conclude?

9. What is the Man doing at the beginning of the second scene, and what is the Woman's reaction?

10. What is the setting of Scene 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Woman uses the song of her flute to provide hope for herself in a world of loneliness. At the end of the play, the Man picks up the Woman's flute and attempts to recreate the hope he saw created by the Woman. Answer the following questions with supporting examples from the play:

1) What does the flute represent to the Woman?

2) What does the flute first represent to the Man? Does his view of the music and flute change over time? If so, what causes this change?

3) What is the author implying at the end of the play when the Man takes up the flute and attempts to play it? Is all hope lost for the Man's fate? Is this the Woman's parting gift to the Man? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The play can be defined as a tragedy. The death of the Woman and the loneliness and suffering of the characters dramatically shape the plot of the play. Answer the following with supporting examples:

1) How does the author create a feeling of misfortune and doom throughout the play?

2) How does the fate of the characters create a tragic ending?

3) In your opinion, was the fate of the Man and the Woman inevitable? Does this make the ending more or less tragic?

Essay Topic 3

The plot of "The Sound of a Voice" illustrates the lives of the Man and the Woman over a short span of time. Answer the following questions with supporting examples:

1) How does the organization of the play influence the plot of the story?

2) How does the short period together affect the way the characters are portrayed to interact with each other?

3) Why did the author choose to focus on such a short span of time? How does this affect the presentation of the play as a theatrical performance?

(see the answer keys)

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