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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 does Edna think she is turning into?

2. What does Edna fear will happen to the kids' bodies if they don't eat better?

3. Who is the "top man" behind workers?

4. What does Joe mean when he refers to "black and blue boys?"

5. Who are the two Hollywood stars imitated by the buying public?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Fatt try to dismiss the workers?

2. Are there real advantages of looking at strikes in the laborer's own industry rather than work in general, as Fatt suggests?

3. How does Clayton connect to the workers?

4. How do you think Irv feels as a result of his behavior toward Florence?

5. How does Joe feel about his responsibilities as the man of the family?

6. What is the mood of the workers?

7. How does the dialogue about smoking and drinking speak to the qualities of the two characters?

8. Is Florence right to put the family ahead of what she wants? Why or why not?

9. What are some reasons Joe doesn't want to strike?

10. At what point does Miller change his mind about the new assignment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Money, who has it and who does not, is at the heart of this play. What are the immediate, short term, and long-term effects of the decreasing financial situation on the lives of Joe, Edna, and their family?

Essay Topic 2

The first character introduced in the play is Fatt, who is described a certain way. Discuss the symbolic meaning for this character's name and appearance in relation to the situations in the play. Compare and contrast Fatt with Joe. How do you imagine Joe to look, and why use the name Joe? Whom do these two characters stand for? Who is the protagonist? The antagonist? What evidence supports your claims?

Essay Topic 3

There is a saying that charity begins at home. Yet, in this play, charity seems to have succumbed to a hardness and harshness. How do you define charity in its broadest sense? How do you explain the near absence of charity in the lives of the characters, if you see it as absent? What does charity do for the giver and receiver? What prices do individuals and society pay when charity disappears or becomes minimal?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 855 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample