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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. How old is Ephraim in Desire Under the Elms?
(a) 60.
(b) 75.
(c) 45.
(d) 59.

2. What do Peter and Simeon taunt Ephraim with when he enters, in Desire Under the Elms?
(a) Lullabyes.
(b) A handkerchief.
(c) Knock-knock jokes.
(d) A folksong.

3. Who does Eben leave to find at the end of Desire Under the Elms?
(a) The Sheriff.
(b) His father.
(c) His mother.
(d) His brothers.

4. How long does Evans say he and Nina have been sleeping separately, in Act 4 of Strange Interlude?
(a) One year.
(b) Five years.
(c) Nine months.
(d) Five months.

5. Who does Abbie tease Eben about in Part 2 of Desire Under the Elms?
(a) Julie.
(b) Jenny.
(c) Sarah.
(d) Minnie.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Nina say she must go away in Act 1 in Strange Interlude?

2. Eben's mother was Ephraim's _____ wife.

3. What city does Act 7 of Strange Interlude take place in?

4. How much time passes between Acts 6 and 7 in Strange Interlude?

5. What has Nina named her baby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What news does Eben return to the farmhouse to inform his brothers of, in Part 1 of Desire Under the Elms? What is the brothers' reaction?

2. What happens in the falling action and resolution of Desire Under the Elms?

3. What does Nina tease Marsden about in Act 6 of Strange Interlude that makes him angry? How does he react?

4. Describe the symbolism of the fence on the Cabot farm in Desire Under the Elms.

5. What does Ephraim say to Eben in Part 3 of Desire Under the Elms that causes Eben to lash out at Abbie?

6. Describe the conversation between Ephraim and Abbie in their bedroom in Part 2 in Desire Under the Elms. What do the stage directions denote in this scene?

7. What does Abbie confess to Eben in Part 3 in Desire Under the Elms? What is his reaction?

8. How does Darrell feel toward Evans in Act 5 of Strange Interlude? What does he plan to do at the end of the act?

9. What does Darrell tell Marsden about Nina's behavior at the hospital in Strange Interlude?

10. What is the symbolic statement behind Abbie and Eben's entrance into the parlor in Part 2 in Desire Under the Elms?

(see the answer keys)

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