View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Jessie threaten to beat up during Act 1, Scene 2?

2. In what year does Brucie say his father had picked his last bale of cotton?

3. What does Stan say is the best thing that has ever happened to him?

4. What tool does Chris say he primarily uses in his job at Olstead's?

5. What ethnicity is Tracey?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Explain the different reactions of Chris and Jason to their respective post-prison stresses.

4. What is Nottage's purpose for including the character of Jessie within the narrative?

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

6. How does Jason feel about his relationship with his mom Tracey in 2000?

7. 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?

8. What is the author's purpose in using Tracey's character to express racist views directly to Oscar, rather than using a character like Jessie?

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

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 is Lynn Nottage's message about the nature of the middle class in modern America?

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

Thoroughly analyze the climax of the play and discuss its intended effects on the audience.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,274 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample