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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. How is Miller treated at the beginning of the meeting?

2. How much do Joe and Edna pay for rent?

3. What does Edna mean when she says, "Everything was gonna be so ducky!"?

4. What does Edna tell Joe to do to help improve the financial situation?

5. How much of a raise is Miller initially offered?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Joe think of Lefty?

3. How does Odets forewarn the audience of Lefty's death?

4. What do you think Sid and Florence feel by the end of Scene 4?

5. Why is the Voice's evidence that Clayton is a spy more credible than Clayton's denials?

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

7. What is the significance of the discussion about Fayette's office?

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

9. Why does Edna threaten infidelity as a way to convince Joe to support a strike?

10. What does Fayette's dialogue in which he uses the words "pollacks and niggers" say about his prejudice?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Political correctness did not exist in the 1930s, but there was certain language that did not enter polite society. In using the language of the common man and woman, Odets' play overflows with name-calling and ethnic slurs. What were your initial reactions to this language? How do you imagine individuals to whom the language referred reacted? Were you at any time uncomfortable, embarrassed or shamed by the language? Why or why not? What are your thoughts about keeping the language intact for contemporary productions of the play? Are there situations in which the play that would be best served if there were language substitutions?

Essay Topic 3

Several characters in the play mention Hollywood or the movies. In what ways do1930s Hollywood influence the characters and their lives? What other media is stressed as important and why?

(see the answer keys)

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