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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 reason does Chris give for not telling Jason his plans to attend college?

2. What type of job does Evan hold?

3. What type of food does the restaurant serve where Jason tells Evan he has just gotten a job after being released from prison?

4. What word does Chris use to describe the crime that he and Jason committed?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In the earlier of the two eras depicted in the play, what are the differences between Chris's ambitions and Jason's ambitions?

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

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

6. In what ways are Chris and Cynthia shown to have similar characteristics?

7. How is the theme of abject desperation demonstrated through Stan's reporting of the newspaper story about town citizen Freddy Brunner?

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

9. Why does Stan say that his work injury had been the best thing to ever happen to him?

10. How does invisibility play a role in Scenes 1 and 2 of Act One?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What messages is Lynn Nottage sending about racial tensions in America in the play Sweat?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the effects of stress on the play's characters and the coping methods each character uses to deal with emotional turmoil. Which characters' methods are effective, which are ineffective, and how do these varying levels of efficiency affect the messages sent by the play?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the symbolism of the props in this play, including Chris's Bible, Cynthia's union card, and the baseball bat.

(see the answer keys)

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