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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 Woman says she is glad to hear what?

2. What does the Man hear in Scene 4 that wakes him up?

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

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

5. What does the Woman say she creates?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. Why does the Man send the Woman away in Scene 7?

4. What is the Man's last act in the play?

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

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

7. What does the Man say about the Woman's flowers in the second scene?

8. What is the setting of Scene 1?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The use of symbolism throughout "The Sound of a Voice" has significant impact on the understanding of the plot. Using supporting examples, answer the following questions:

1) What objects provide significant symbolism throughout the play? What do these things represent?

2) What are some less significant sources of symbolism that enrich the play and the audience's understanding of the events?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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