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 does Bubbles do when she is turned on?

2. Who enters while Sandra and Murray have their polite conversation?

3. What does Nick's mother come back to collect that she had abandoned?

4. What does Murray say he always takes in his martini?

5. Whom does Nick do an impression of when Sandra is questioning him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the opening scene as the play begins in Act 1, Part 1.

2. Describe Sandra.

3. Why doesn't Nick have a name and how did Murray decide to call the child Nick?

4. What does it mean when Arnold tells Murray that he floats around like a balloon and everyone is waiting around with a pin?

5. Describe Leo's appearance as he enters Murray's apartment.

6. When Nick enters from the bathroom, what does Leo present to him?

7. Describe Arnold.

8. What happened to the stuff that Elaine brought by?

9. With what does Sandra say she identifies?

10. Describe the part of Murray's speech where he describes Nick as a list maker.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The character, Sandra, brings a feminine quality to the play overrun by male characters, and she brings her own feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and doubt along with her. Describe Sandra's character in detail and explain reasons for her personality traits. Is she a needed character in the play? Why or why not? How would the play be different if Sandra's character was a male? Do you think it was a wise decision on the part of Herb Gardner to include a lone female character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

In the play, A Thousand Clowns, characters mask their insecurities in specific ways. Name three characters from the play that put on a mask of protection. Discuss each character in detail. What do they do to protect themselves from the outside world? Are the methods each of these characters use always effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The protagonist in the play is Murray Burns. When a protagonist of a story doesn't quite live up to hero status, he or she is sometimes referred to as an anti-hero. Discuss the ways that Murray Burns proves to the reader that he is an anti-hero. Do these qualities make him more likable? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 837 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample