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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. Who is the smoker and drinker in Scene 3?

2. What is one reason Joe gives for strikes sometimes failing?

3. In Scene 2, what does Joe find when he arrives home from work at the end of the day?

4. Who initially insists that the action of many can accomplish what one cannot?

5. What is one thing Fatt accuses "reds" of doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What, if anything, justifies Fatt's use of a spy to avoid a strike?

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

3. What are several factors that have contributed to Benjamin's removal from surgery?

4. What are some of the reasons that Fayette selects Miller for the new project?

5. What does Sid think about war and education?

6. Why is Benjamin coming to see Dr. Barnes?

7. What are the first indications that Joe and Edna are having financial problems?

8. Is Fayette's decision to fire Miller for refusing to spy on his supervisor morally right or wrong?

9. What language does Clayton use that is reminiscent of Fatt's earlier speech?

10. What is Joe and Edna's relationship like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A popular song asks what war is good for. War seems to be on everyone's mind and has touched many of the characters. The characters also seem to have a range of opinions about war. What seems to be the predominant attitude of characters in the play and why? Whose attitudes seem most in alignment with each other and whose attitudes differ the most? What are the primary benefits of war to the characters and why? What about the detriments?

Essay Topic 2

Odets uses two techniques to shift the reader back and forward in time in order to tell his story. What two techniques does he use and where in the story does he use them? What are the benefits of using these techniques? The downside? If you were re-writing the play, how would you rearrange the scenes?

Essay Topic 3

Hunger is a marker in the play; food and/or the lack of it comes up in at least three scenes. How do discussions about hunger and food speak to the issue of social class? What characters can you put in a class hierarchy based on dialogue about hunger and/or food? What is that hierarchy and what evidence supports your arrangement? What do you know about persistent hunger in the USA, who it affects, and what your responsibility is for ending it?

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This section contains 882 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample