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

Short Answer Questions

1. When Estragon tells Vladimir why he is going to go without shoes, Vladimir asks him if he is going to

2. When Estragon comments that his boots are too big in Act II, Vladimir tells him that perhaps, someday, he will

3. Estragon and Vladimir talk about what time it is in the middle of the second act. Pozzo keeps begging them to tell him if it is

4. Toward the end of the first act, Estragon wonders if he and Vladimir

5. When Vladimir tries to talk to Estragon about what happened the day before with the tree and Pozzo and Lucky, Estragon tells him

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Beckett created the characters of Pozzo and Lucky the way he did? Do you feel that other characters would have worked better? For instance, Pozzo and Lucky are just as locked in their lives and unable to change as Estragon and Vladimir. Would characters who were happy, contented, and successful made Beckett's message stronger because of the contrast? Why do you feel the way you do?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Do you feel that Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" has a message for today's readers? Why or why not? If so, what do you think the message is? What action or dialogue supports this message? Did reading "Waiting for Godot" make a difference in your life? Did you learn something about yourself and your feeling about your life?

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