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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 is the letter on the front of Willie's sweater?

2. Who is the girl that Dudley wants to marry?

3. What does Joe ask Mary to do?

4. Which one of the men dances with Kitty?

5. What does Joe send Tom out to buy?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tom play into Kitty's childhood dreams of what she wanted for her life?

2. How does Tom behave when he discovers Kitty is a prostitute?

3. How does Kitty respond when Nick insinuates that she is a prostitute?

4. What is the bet that Joe makes with Tom?

5. On what topic does Tom uncharacteristically challenge Joe?

6. How does Blick intimidate Kitty into humiliating behavior?

7. How does the author show that Joe is trying to be a better person?

8. How is Kitty Duval described in Act 1?

9. What is the Lady's reactions to Joe's behavior?

10. How does Joe verbally keep Tom in a subordinate position?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the play. Why does Saroyan use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

What is your interpretation of the play's title, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE? Does Saroyan mean to imply that these characters are living a good life? Or is there a message he wants the reader to learn from reading about the characters? Or is it something else entirely? Support your answer with examples if possible.

Essay Topic 3

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE is set in 1939--following the Great Depression in America and before the start of World War II. What impact did these two major events have on Saroyan? What impact did they have on his work, especially THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE. Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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