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. What is repeated by several of the play’s characters as being the unsaid motto of the people of Laramie?

2. Zubaida Ula says in “Moment: A Death Penalty Case” of Act 3 that she knew Aaron McKinney in grade school and he was called what?

3. Who was the girlfriend of Russell Henderson at the time of Matthew Shepard’s murder?

4. The Judge completes the arraignment in Act 2 by stating that “Said defendants left the victim” how?

5. In “Moment: Medical Update” in Act 2, the Narrator announces the “Matthew Shepard update at three P.M., Saturday” on what date?

Short Essay Questions

1. What takes place in the beginning of Act 3?

2. What statement does Matthew Shepard’s father make in Aaron McKinney’s sentencing?

3. How does Kaufman use juxtaposition to create emotion in the audience in Act 2?

4. How does Romaine Patterson respond to the Reverend Fred Phelps in Act 3?

5. What sentencing does Russell Henderson receive in Act 3?

6. What internal conflicts are evident in the citizens of Laramie in the play?

7. What follows the funeral of Matthew Shepard in Act 3?

8. What is the objective of the Reverend Fred Phelps in the play?

9. What characters represent the theme of prejudice in The Laramie Project?

10. What historical incident sparked the gay-rights movement in the United States?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Tony Kushner’s award-winning play, Angels in America. When was the play produced? What are its central subjects and themes? How was it received? Why did Jedadiah Schultz’s parents react as they did to his performing a scene from the play? How do Angels in America and The Laramie Project relate to one another?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. What drew Kaufman to write about the life and trials of Wilde? How do the themes of this work relate to those in The Laramie Project? Why does the playwright relate these events in the Introduction?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss how contrast and juxtaposition are used as tools in Epic Theater. In what ways did Brecht employ these elements? How does his use compare to the use of juxtaposition in The Laramie Project?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 777 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample