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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. Where do the brothers in Desire Under the Elms long to go?

2. What is the father's name in Desire Under the Elms?

3. Who does Abbie tease Eben about in Part 2 of Desire Under the Elms?

4. What has happened in Act 5 with Evan's work?

5. Who finds Professor Leeds' body?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Nina feel about her family in Act 7 of Strange Interlude? How does she feel about her life and about Darrell?

2. What does Nina reveal in reading aloud her letter in Act 3 of Strange Interlude?

3. What do Evans and his mother talk about in Act 3 of Strange Interlude? What does she ask him about Nina?

4. Describe the thematic elements which are shared by Desire Under the Elms and the other plays in the collection.

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

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

7. How does Gordon feel about Darrell in Act 7 of Strange Interlude? How does he respond to Darrell's comments about Evans?

8. The morning after their "tryst," how do Abbie and Eben feel in Desire Under the Elms? How does Ephraim feel?

9. What is Abbie doing when Part 3 begins in Desire Under the Elms? What is the talk of the town about?

10. What are Marsden's thoughts at the beginning of Act 1 in Strange Interlude?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of Incest and Family Secrets in the Mourning Becomes Electra trilogy. Within which characters is this theme manifested? What actions are representative of the theme?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the innovations which O'Neill introduced to the theater in each of these plays. Why did the police attempt to shut down O'Neill's works in New York? What is risque about these plays for their time?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the characters of Lavinia and Christine in the Mourning Becomes Electra trilogy. How and why do these characters become more alike in the progression of the trilogy?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 955 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample