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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. In Detective Sergeant Hing’s interview in Act 1, Hing states that Wyoming is one of the largest states in the country and the least what?

2. What is the name of Matthew Shepard’s mother?

3. On what date did the United States Congress pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act?

4. In what year did The Laramie Project first perform in New York?

5. Who does Andy Paris interview in Act 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who speaks in the introduction to Act 1? What is established in this opening?

2. What does Jedadiah Schultz relate about the play Angels in America in Act 1?

3. What is the text of The Laramie Project based upon the transcripts of?

4. What did Moisés Kaufman hope to capture from the residents in Laramie, Wyoming?

5. Who is the first person introduced in Act 1 that knew Matthew Shepard?

6. When in “Moment: A Definition” does the tone of Act 1 begin to change? How?

7. What structural purpose do Kaufman’s “moments” have in the play?

8. How are the religious views in Laramie depicted in “Moment: The Word” in Act 1?

9. What most recent works of Moisés Kaufman’s are described in the Introduction to The Laramie Project?

10. What does Doc O’Connor remark about the gay population in Laramie in Act 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze character list of The Laramie Project. How many of the characters in the play are actual residents of Laramie? Who are the Tectonic Theater Project members? How are the characters described?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the young Matthew Shepard. How was Matthew Shepard like the friends and family you know? How was Matthew different in the context of Laramie? Who liked or disliked Matthew?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the media frenzy surrounding the attack on Matthew Shepard, and define and discuss sensationalism, dramatic conflict, and controversy. What conflicts are introduced to the narrative of the play with the introduction of the media? What impressions do these different journalists give of the town of Laramie and its residents? How do these impressions coincide with those depicted in the play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 739 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample