View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Mirabell pretend to love Lady Wishfort?
(a) To make fun of her.
(b) To get her money.
(c) To show the world what a stud he was.
(d) To disguise his true feelings for Mrs. Millamant.

2. Who is Mrs. Millamant?
(a) An acquaintance of Mirabell.
(b) Fainall's sister.
(c) A relative of the two gentlemen.
(d) The woman Mirabell loves.

3. What are Mrs. Fainall and Mrs. Marwood doing to each other in the park?
(a) Investigating each other's love affairs.
(b) Questioning each other about their opinion of love.
(c) Trying to determine if the other is having an affair.
(d) Testing each other about Mirabell.

4. The actor who reads the prologue also plays which character?
(a) Mirabell.
(b) Sir Wilfull.
(c) Sir Rowland.
(d) Fainall.

5. What does Foible do when she enters Lady Wishfort's dressing room?
(a) She helps Lady Wishfort dress.
(b) She announces Sir Rowland.
(c) She says Witwoud and Petulant have arrived.
(d) She asks Mrs. Marwood to keep the men company.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is a prologue?

2. What reason does Fainall give for Mirabell's deception being revealed?

3. What does Mrs. Marwood promise herself after hearing how Mirabell feels about her?

4. What does the dramatic device of naming characters that are symbolic of their personality traits allow the playwright Congreve to do?

5. What does Mrs. Fainall reveal to Foible in her mother's dressing room?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do you think is Congreve's purpose in establishing an affair between Fainall and Mrs. Marwood?

2. Describe Fainall's character.

3. Describe Mirabell's feelings for Mrs. Millamant when he discusses his love for her with Fainall in Act 1, Scene 2 in the chocolate house.

4. Is Congreve's use of character names symbolic of their personalities an effective device?

5. Mrs. Marwood is someone who thinks of revenge when others cross her. What scheme do you think Mrs. Marwood is planning to extract her revenge on Mirabell?

6. What do you think that Mirabell's scheme to marry Mrs. Millamant will entail?

7. What is the relationship between Waitwell and Foible?

8. Describe Mirabell's character.

9. In what way(s) is the play different from the usual farce audiences were accustomed to?

10. What are some of the ways in which Mrs. Marwood is able to manipulate the men around her?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,020 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample