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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. How does B try to reassure A when she cries in Act 1, Part 3?

2. A refers repeatedly to the fact that Sis did what?

3. What does B say about children in act 1, part 1?

4. Who checks to see if A is still alive at the end of Act 1, Part 4?

5. To whom is A referring when she uses the pronoun "he"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are A and B so impatient with C?

2. What accident does A relate in Act 2, Part 3?

3. What do B and C say about empathy in Act 1, Part 4?

4. What does A say about riding in Act 1, Part 2?

5. How does A's son feel about her use of racial slurs?

6. Why does C object to the way A describes her husband in Act 1, Part 2?

7. What is the significance of A's rambling and disjointed memories?

8. What does C represent?

9. How did A's father die?

10. How does C describe herself in Act 2, Part 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When A is upset about forgetting things, C suggests that there is safety and salvation in forgetting things. Do the other events of the play suggest that it is possible to do so? Or is it necessary to come to terms with the past and resolve the issues of one's past with the reality of one's present? How does A resolve the issues of her past before her death? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

A's broken arm is not healing, and the doctors want to amputate, but A refuses. What is the symbolism of A's broken arm, and her refusal to have it amputated? What quality of hers prevents her from following doctor's orders? What other effects has this quality had on her life? How does A's broken arm tie in with the story about her husband's shoulder injury? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Fear of death and making peace with that fear is an important theme in the play. What is C's attitude toward death? What about B's? How does A feel about death? How does her attitude differ from B's and C's? What changes have enabled A to come to terms with her fear of death? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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