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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. How does Peregrine describe the local men who deal with medicine?

2. How does Corvino plan to block Celia's window?

3. When is the only time Celia is allowed to leave the house?

4. What are Sir Political Would-Be and Peregrine discussing as they sit outside Corvino's home?

5. What is an acrostic?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mosca confess to Voltore when he is showing him out of Valpone's room?

2. What con is Valpone pulling over the Venetian businessmen?

3. In his soliloquy to the audience, what realizations about himself does Mosca make?

4. How does Mosca react to the news that he has been named as Valpone's heir?

5. How does Mosca get Lady Political Would-Be to leave Valpone's home so they can discuss finances?

6. How does Valpone feel about his accrued wealth?

7. How does Valpone feel about Lady Political Would-Be?

8. What plot does Mosca attempt to trick Corvino into joining with him, and what is Corvino's reaction?

9. What happens when Voltore overhears Corbaccio and Mosca discussing Valpone's will?

10. Why do Corbaccio, Voltore, and Mosca head to the courts to press charges?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Valpone spends most of the time in the play pretending to be ill. Give examples of three ways that Valpone pretends to be ill and what the reaction to his devices are. Why is it important to Valpone's plan that the legacy hunters believe that he is really ill?

Essay Topic 2

When Valpone's plan is eventually revealed to the court, all of the characters involved receive individual and unique punishments. Create a list of the five characters that were involved in Valpone's plan and explain what the punishment for each of the characters was. Then, explain whether or not you believe that the punishments doled out fit the crimes, and why.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the play, the audience almost always knows more than the characters on stage. Give two examples of times when the audience knows more about the plot of the play than the characters involved, and then explain what kind of relationship is created with the audience when most of the characters in the play are ignorant to the events happening around them.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 848 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample