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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. Why does John think that he and Nettie will have good times?

2. What does Timmy do when Nettie grabs his hand?

3. How does Nettie respond to Timmy at the end of Act 1, Scene 3?

4. What story is told in Act 1, Scene 2?

5. What room is John Cleary standing in as the play begins?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Timmy's request at breakfast in the first scene of Act 2, how does John respond, and what does it indicate?

2. What is the way Timmy views his father and his family, according to the speech he gives in Act 2, Scene 2?

3. What does Nettie admit to Timmy about John in the first scene of Act 2?

4. What is the reason Timmy gives his father for leaving?

5. What surprise does John unveil as the first scene of the play is ending, and how does it affect Nettie?

6. What is John doing with Timmy's army jacket in Scene 1, and why?

7. What is John trying to convince Nettie to do as the final act begins?

8. How does Nettie's mood change about the roses in Act 1, Scene 2, and why?

9. What is Nettie's initial reaction to the flowers?

10. How does Nettie describe John's early business sense?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does John compare his life with Timmy's? In what way does the comparison affect their relationship? What is different about the time and place both characters grew up, and does that have an effect on the way their lives turned out? What is the reason for John's opinions about how Timmy's life compares to his own?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the way Nettie and John met and the reasons they were married. What was Nettie looking for? How did John appear to her? Did she understand that he would eventually disappoint her at the time? How has Nettie changed? Has John changed or remained the same? Why does their past represent some of the major reasons for their failing marriage?

Essay Topic 3

Describe John's attempts to get Timmy to stay in the beginning of the last scene. Include how they are indicative of his character and how both Timmy and Nettie respond to him. What does that say about their place in the story at this point? How did each one arrive there?

(see the answer keys)

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