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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 ailment does Cynthia say she is now experiencing after so many years working on the factory floor?

2. What physical ailment does the bartender have when we first meet him in Act 1, Scene 2?

3. What does Tracey tell Brucie are his two choices regarding his marriage to Cynthia?

4. What event does Cynthia imply had initially led Brucie to fall prey to drug addiction?

5. What does Chris say bothers him the most about the tool he uses in his job at Olstead's?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is irony present in Jason's complaint when he says, "Fucking union got all our money tied up in benefits and shit, don't have nothing left for fun" (29)?

4. What event causes the first rift within Chris's and Jason's friendship in February of 2000?

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

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

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

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. How do Jason and Chris view travel differently during the earlier of the two eras depicted in the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining how this play relates to the American Dream. Is there one American Dream or are there many different ones? What is this play saying about the American dream in the twenty-first century?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Lynn Nottage's treatment of race within her play Sweat. What are the messages she is attempting to send to her audience and which characters does she use to relay these messages?

(see the answer keys)

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