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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 most significant thing on the stage? It is talked about several times during the play.

2. In Act I, when Estragon and Vladimir are telling Pozzo about the fact they are waiting for Godot, Pozzo tells them he would be

3. The two main characters in "Waiting for Godot" are

4. In Act I, when Vladimer and Estragon first encounter Pozzo and Lucky, Vladimir moves towards Lucky, but Pozzo says Lucky is

5. What does Estragon tell Vladimir happened to him during the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Act II, while Pozzo is obviously in distress and asking for help, what are Estragon and Vladimir doing? Pozzo keeps calling for help and finally offers what to Estragon and Vladimir?

2. When Vladimir finds Estragon's boots in Act II, what does Estragon say about the boots?

3. In Act II, Pozzo finally decides that he and Lucky must leave. Vladimir asks Pozzo if Lucky can sing for them before he and Lucky leave. What does Pozzo tell Vladimir?

4. Estragon and Vladimir frequently fall asleep throughout the play. Why do you think Beckett uses that as a thread throughout the play.

5. Vladimir is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why do you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?

6. How does Estragon reply to Vladimir's statement that he can't go barefoot?

7. What happens when Estragon tries to help Lucky when is is crying?

8. What does Pozzo have for dinner and what do Estragon, Vladimir, and Lucky eat?

9. What happens to the bones after Pozzo has finished eating?

10. Just before he finally leaves in Act I, what does Pozzo observe about leaving? What does he feel he needs to do to be able to leave?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Samuel Beckett's play, "Waiting for Godot," is considered part of the Theater of the Absurd. Theater of the Absurd writers joined existential (relating to existence) philosophy with dramatic action and characters to show how "absurd" life could be. Find at least three examples of absurd actions or dialogue, describe the examples, and explain why you think they show the absurdity of life.

Essay Topic 2

Describe each character by creating a "picture" with words. Concentrate on picking the best words to describe each character. Think of words that show how the characters are both different and similar to each other. In other words, what traits do they share, and what traits are unique to each character?

Essay Topic 3

Estragon is beaten during the two nights the play covers. He seems to accept the beatings as a part of life. What do you think Beckett was trying to say? Keep in mind that when Vladimir tells Estragon he would have stopped the beating, he doesn't mean that he would have stopped the people who beat Estragon, but that he would stop Estragon from doing whatever he had done to antagonize those who beat him.

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