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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. On what holiday does Cynthia say she and her husband Brucie had briefly reconciled before he robbed her home?

2. For how many years did Stan work at Olstead's before he was injured?

3. Where does Cynthia say she is planning to take a vacation when she saves up enough money?

4. Who changes the locks and does not provide Jason with a key once he turns 21 years old?

5. In what year does Act 1, Scene 1 take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jason demonstrate a lack of awareness about white privilege during his conversation about college with Chris?

2. How does the theme of silence appear within the conversation that Jason and Chris have about college?

3. What does Chris mean when he says, "A man gotta have one vice that keeps him hungry" (30), and how is his choice of vice different from his father Brucie's?

4. What does Evan mean when he tells Chris that "the river keeps flowing" (9)?

5. How is the theme of racial tension presented by the playwright before any dialogue is even spoken?

6. Characterize Evan's methods of performing his job as a parole officer.

7. What is Nottage's purpose in depicting Stan and Tracey as having been involved sexually before they became friends?

8. How is the theme of being trapped contained within Stan's advice to Chris about his job at Olstead's and about college?

9. During the conversation about the open management position, how does Cynthia and Tracey's relationship experience a noticeable shift?

10. How does Brucie's experience at the union office again display the theme of racial tension?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Lynn Nottage's message about the relationship between poverty and racism within her play Sweat?

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the play, the last set of stage directions reads, "There's apology in their eyes, but Chris and Jason are unable to conjure words just yet. The four men, uneasy in their bodies, await the next moment in a fractured togetherness" (112). How does this final set of stage directions connect to the themes inherent in the play?

Essay Topic 3

The playwright begins the play with an excerpt from a Langston Hughes poem. Explain how this poem excerpt relates to the play and how it reflects the play's themes.

(see the answer keys)

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