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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 does Nina say she is going in Part 1, Act 1 in Strange Interlude?

2. How long has Darrell been away in Act 7 of Strange Interlude?

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

4. Who has Evans invited over this evening, at the beginning of Act 4 in Strange Interlude?

5. Who is the first character we are introduced to in Desire Under the Elms?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Where do the conflicts arise between the family in Desire Under the Elms? How do the characters' objectives lead to the essential conflict?

3. Describe the "character" of Minnie in Desire Under the Elms. What is she representative of?

4. What do Abbie and Eben say to one another alone in the beginning of Part 3 in Desire Under the Elms?

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

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

7. 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?

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

9. Why does Leeds believe that Nina hates him in Act 1 of Strange Interlude?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the style and use of soliloquy in Strange Interlude. How is this play stylistically different than the others in the collection?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the actions and events which occur in The Hunted. Which play of the Oresteia is this play an adaptation of? How do the plot points differ than in Aeschylus' play?

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)

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