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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. The chorus in the "Overture" of "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World" suggest who should listen to the story of what happened, write it down and preserve it?

2. In "D - Echo" of The America Play, what was the line that triggered the laughter that covered Booth's advancing on Lincoln?

3. Charles lived next door to whom in "Pickling"?

4. In scene "C" of "Devotees in the Garden of Love," Lily refers to how important it used to be for a bride to have what?

5. In "Panel III: Thuh Lonesome 3Some" of "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World," Black Man reveals that after he died he was cut down from the tree and let go, since he wasn't what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is introduced in the "Overture" of "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World"?

2. What role does race play in "Devotees in the Garden of Love"?

3. What central theme or moral statement emerges in the ending of "Pickling"?

4. How does the term "pickling" apply to the play "Pickling"?

5. What conversation do Lucy and Brazil share of the Lesser Known in The America Play, "E - Spadework"?

6. What is Lucy's response when Brazil asks whether she hears his father in The America Play, "C - Archaeology"? What is his reply?

7. What allusion is implied in the arrival of the winner's head, presented to George on a platter in "Devotees in the Garden of Love"?

8. What is evoked in the gunshots in The America Play, "Act One: Lincoln Act"?

9. What has happened to Black Man in "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World," "Panel III: Thuh Lonesome 3Some"?

10. What symbols of violence are central in "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of transformation in "Third Kingdom," "Open House" and "Third Kingdom, Reprise." How do these plays relate to the theme of identity?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the themes, imagery, and symbolism in "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World." How does the symbolism reflect the theme of identity in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the relationship between history and African American youth as depicted in "Open House." What is Parks saying about history's importance in the play?

(see the answer keys)

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