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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 name does the Woman say is too common?

2. What names does the Woman jokingly call the Man?

3. What is the Man's response when the Woman asks where he is going in the second scene?

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

5. What does the Man make a joke about in Scene 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the Scene 8 conclude?

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

3. What is the play's message about relationships between men and women?

4. What does the Man explain to the Woman about what his friend told him about meditating?

5. What does the Woman say in the final scene that she wanted to do for the Man, and what did she not want to do?

6. What does the Man tell the Woman about her music in Scene 5?

7. What does the Woman's taking of the Man's sword symbolize in the play?

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

9. How does the Man feel about the Woman's taking away his sword?

10. What has changed about the Man's reaction at night in Scene 4 from the previous scene of him at night?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title of the play is also something that the Man and the Woman discuss. The characters long to hear the sound of a voice in their lives. Respond to the following using examples to support your answer:

1) Why do the Man and the Woman long to hear the sound of a voice? Why have they not heard one for a while when they first meet?

2) How has the Woman created the sound of a voice in her life before the Man arrives? Does the Man successfully replace her version? Why or why not?

3) How does the Man attempt to create the sound of a voice once the Woman is gone? Is he successful?

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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