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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The author undoubtedly wants his characters to be the play in order to express _____.
(a) The suspense.
(b) The plot.
(c) The premise.
(d) The ending.

2. What term means a striking exhibition of unlikeness?
(a) Obstacle.
(b) Conflict.
(c) None of the answers is correct.
(d) Contrast.

3. What does Lajos Egri define as being what a writer sets out to prove with his story?
(a) The truth.
(b) The plot.
(c) The laws of science.
(d) The premise.

4. Who is Romeo's cousin in "Romeo and Juliet"?
(a) Benvolio.
(b) Friar John.
(c) Abram.
(d) Mercutio.

5. What term refers to the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work?
(a) Interest.
(b) Antagonist.
(c) Friend.
(d) Protagonist.

Short Answer Questions

1. When focusing on exactly how the pivotal character will come to lead a cause, the author explains that something is to be _____.

2. According to the author, it is essential that the main character have no _____ toward his ends.

3. What refers to a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization?

4. The author claims that a man's _____ will react to something that affects him physically more so than his body.

5. What French author and dramatist is cited in Book I: The Premise as stating "How can you tell what road to take unless you know where you are going?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Egri's example about a crime play in Book I: Premise. Why does he assert it does not work?

2. What does the author assert about character development in Chapter 7: Characters Plotting Their Own Play?

3. What example does the author give to explain the unity of opposites?

4. How does Egri view the correlation between thinking and premise?

5. What example of growth does the author describe in "A Doll's House"?

6. What does Egri say about the writer's doubts about a character's development?

7. What must be at stake for the pivotal character, according to the author?

8. What does the author assert in Book II: Character, Chapter 5: Strength of Will in a Character about the need to fight?

9. What is the role of character according to the author in Chapter 6: Plot or Character--Which?

10. How does Egri relate the premise to the universal truth?

(see the answer keys)

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