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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. What happened to A's husband's shoulder?

2. What makes A cry in Act 1, Part 2?

3. A was more careful than Sis about what?

4. Who helps A into the bathroom?

5. How did A get rich?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened during the bracelet incident?

2. What does A say about her friends in Act 1, Part 3?

3. What does A say about her personal strength, in Act 1, Part 4?

4. What does C say about how she and Sis made a living in Act 2, Part 1?

5. What problems arose between B and her son in his adolescence?

6. Who are the three main characters?

7. How did A's father die?

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

9. What is the significance of A, B, and C's lack of names?

10. What is B's rationale for the racist words that A uses?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The figures of the son and the husband are archetypes for males. Despite their difference in age they share many qualities, which is why the pronoun "he" is used interchangeably to refer to both of them. What are the qualities that the son and husband share? How does A view them both? What message is Albee sending the audience about males in general? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Sis is an archetype of the sibling rival. In what ways was A jealous of Sis, or competing with her? What qualities did A have which Sis didn't? How did A feel about the qualities she possessed that Sis didn't? How did their parents treat A and Sis? Was there any difference? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

The bracelet story is a turning point in A's life, as well as in the play's plot. How did the bracelet incident change A's life? How did it change her marriage? What long-lasting effects did it have on A's character? How did it affect her emotionally? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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