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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. A reveals in Act 1, Part 2 that who had an affair?

2. How old does A think she is?

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

4. What expression does A use that B laughs at?

5. What did A lie about to impress her future husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does C represent?

2. What does B say about the best time of life?

3. What does A say about the best time of life?

4. What does B mean when she says that they were with one man for forty years, "more or less"?

5. What does C decide to do after her conversation with B about death?

6. What happens in the premonition that A describes in Act 2, Part 4?

7. What does A say about jewelry at the beginning of Act 1, Part 4?

8. What do B and C say about the movie star A met?

9. How do A and C feel about jewelry?

10. How do A, B, and C react to the son's arrival?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

In the second act, it becomes clear that B and C are younger versions of A, and each of them tell their versions of the story. What happened to make A and B so impatient with C's perspective? Was there any defining event that marked the transition from C to B, and from B to A? If so, what was it? If not, what defines these women at each stage of their life? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

A and her son had a falling-out, which was a result of many things that happened between them. How did her son's sexuality influence A's relationship with him? How did it affect their relationship when the son confronted A with his knowledge of her affair? Why? What other factors affected their relationship? What enabled them to reconcile? Was it a true reconciliation? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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