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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does C say about the flirting she did at work?

2. In A's premonition, who was with her when she died?

3. How does C respond to A's reasoning for her marriage?

4. How did A break her back?

5. According to A, how old was A's husband when he died?

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

C is offended by A's use of racist words throughout the play. B defends A, saying that the words don't mean anything, they are just the words that A learned to use. Does this excuse A's use of the words? Do you think that A's use of these words is malicious or, as B says, unconscious? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 393 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample