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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 is the Man disturbed by in Scene 1?

2. What does the Woman bring inside the room in Scene 2?

3. What does the Woman say frightens her?

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

5. The Woman says she is glad to hear what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Woman tell the Man to do at the end of the third scene, and what does she do to the man?

2. How does the Man describe his home differently than that of the Woman's home?

3. How does the Man react when he is awakened at night in Scene 6?

4. In Scene 8, what plans does the Woman try to make, and what is the Man's reaction?

5. What does the Woman warn the Man about, and what does this mean?

6. What does the Man's hesitation to reveal his destination to the Woman in Scene Two reveal about how he feels about the Woman that has carried over from their first meeting?

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

8. Why does the Man say he can do so much on this particular day in Scene 3?

9. What does the Man say when the when the Woman inquires about his decision in Scene 2?

10. What are the Woman and the Man doing at the beginning of Scene 1, and what are they talking about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

David Henry Hwang, the author of "The Sound of a Voice," is an Asian American whose heritage directly influences his work. Using examples from the play, answer the following with an essay:

1) How does the author's heritage influence the setting of the play?

2) How does the author's heritage influence the way the play is presented and the overall aesthetic?

3) What does the author reveal about his belief in the importance of cultural tradition through his writing?

Essay Topic 2

The Man's sword in the play is a precious possession that also represents a capacity for destruction. Much conflict in the play revolves around the Man's sword and the struggle for its power. Write an essay answering the following, and supplement your work with examples:

1) What does the sword represent to the Man? What does it represent to the Woman?

2) Who is shown to have more control over the sword? What does this say about that character?

3) The Man came to kill the Woman with his sword, but the Woman takes her own life by hanging herself. What is the author trying to say by having the the Woman take her own life and the Man laying his sword down at the end of the play?

Essay Topic 3

The true identities of the Man and the Woman are never revealed though they are given names to substitute for their identity. Write an essay answering the following using supporting examples:

1) What are the names that the Man is given? Are these names reflective of the true identity of the Man as revealed by his personality?

2) What is the name the Woman gives herself, and what does it mean? How does the final scene illustrate the Woman's name?

3) The characters withhold their true identity from each other. Why? What effect does this have on their relationship?

(see the answer keys)

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