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

2. What is the last action in Scene 3?

3. What is Fayette's attitude toward unskilled workers?

4. Which of Joe and Edna's bills needs to be paid right away?

5. What does Edna think she is turning into?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Sid think about war and education?

3. What is the mood of the workers?

4. What are two main themes contained in Scene 4 and how are they manifested?

5. What colors does Joe use to refute Fatt's accusations? Describe the situation of the workers.

6. How does Fatt try to discourage the Voice from exposing the spy?

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

8. Besides going to bed hungry, how else are the children affected by Joe and Edna's financial situation?

9. What is the point of emphasizing the closeness of Philadelphia to the workers?

10. How does Scene 6 foreshadow what will happen to Benjamin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Women, particularly mothers, play very influential roles in the lives of the characters, especially Florence and Joe. How does the behavior of Florence's mother on her deathbed compare and contrast with Edna's motherly behavior toward her children. How do both the mothers' behaviors exemplify the difficult role women played in depression era America? What were your reactions and opinions about the roles of the women upon reading the play?

Essay Topic 3

Odets' play has been called dated because of the language. The slang and figurative language almost demand a close reading of the play with a good dictionary at hand. How does the language aid communication and relationships in the 1930s? What does it communicate about the speakers and listeners? What if anything could have influenced the language of the working class? What if any contemporary communications are comparable to Odets' language?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 883 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample