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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Natasha wants the circumstances in #102 to happen so that ______ can have her room.

2. Who complains about shortness of breath although he/she does not get an answer about the problem?

3. What has happened in the town that causes the people to be up and trying to help out in some way?

4. Who drops the small china clock, shattering it?

5. Who says there should be a society created to help the victims of the disaster?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What's interesting about this play is that the men are just as flawed as the women in their actions and in their ideas.

Part 1: Compare and contrast the emotional natures of the men and the women in this play.

Part 2: Does it seem the men are 'typical' men or are they different from the stereotypical male characters? If they are different, explain how. if they are the same, explain that answer.

Part 3: Does Chekhov seem to be saying that the sexes are equal in relation to their experience of life? Support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Within this play are many examples of the number '3' - not just in the title itself. The relevance of the number '3' seems to indicate a pattern within this play and within the lives of its characters.

Part 1: List at least three examples of where the number '3' is shown in the play.

Part 2: What is the significance of the number '3' in this play?

Part 3: What might Chekhov be trying to show the viewer or the reader in using the number '3' so often?

Essay Topic 3

The meaning of life is something that also begins to emerge as a theme in this play. Each character is searching for something, but what that 'something' is remains to be clear at times.

Part 1: What is Olga's sense of the meaning of life? How has she defined what makes her life worth living?

Part 2: What is Masha's sense of the meaning of life? How has her definition changed before and after Vershinin?

Part 3: What is Irina's hope in life causing her to do? She has hope for the future, but does that hinder her search for meaning or help it? Support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 396 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample