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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. According to George at the end of Act 1, what is Martha at heart?

2. What animal did George's school friend swerve his car to avoid hitting?

3. What liquor did George's school friend mispronounce?

4. How old does George tell Nick Martha is?

5. What comes out of the toy shotgun that George fires?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways do George and Martha disagree about the particulars of their son?

2. Describe Martha when she returns to the main room and how the guests react.

3. How does George explain his son's habit of throwing up?

4. What is George's reasoning that his son hates Martha?

5. Describe the movie that Martha references at the beginning of the play.

6. How did Honey's family come to be so wealthy?

7. How does Martha convince George to leave her and Nick alone?

8. Describe how Nick and Honey decided to marry.

9. Describe Honey.

10. What is Martha's relationship with her father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Repetition of phrases is a central component of Albee's writing. Write an essay about the purpose of this repetition. Defend your position with paragraphs about the following repeated phrases:

Part 1) Snap

Part 2)Truth and Illusion

Part 3) She's slim-hipped

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of violence in the play, both physical and verbal. Which is more effective in the narrative? Use specific examples from the play to defend your position.

Essay Topic 3

The collapse of inhibitions - mostly, but not exclusively, as a result of drink - is a key driver of action in the play. Write an essay about the disappearance of inhibitions as time goes on:

Part 1) Examine the character of Honey. How is the entirety of her character arc a breaking down of inhibitions leading to her final admission in Act 3.

Part 2) How does the relationship between Nick and Martha change over the course of the play as a result of the breaking down of inhibitions?

Part 3) How is George's revelation about his child the ultimate collapse of his and Martha's inhibitions?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 760 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample