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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 Mirabell do to Fainall at the end of the play?

2. As Lady Wishfort steps out of the dining room to read a letter, what does Waitwell claim to Foible?

3. What does the final couplet of the play warn the audience against?

4. What does Mrs. Millamant achieve when she renounces Mirabell?

5. What are the first poets going to do when judging a play?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the black box?

2. Why does Lady Wishfort accept Mirabell offer to help Mrs. Millamant?

3. Is Mirabell's elaborate plot going to be successful? Explain why or why not?

4. Compare Congreve's opinions on love, marriage, and honesty with another play, novel, movie, etc. you know well.

5. Throughout the play, Mirabell has protested his love for Mrs. Millamant. Citing specific examples, what are some of the ways he has demonstrated his love for Mrs. Millamant?

6. Why do we feel sympathy for Lady Wishfort even though she is vain and is berating a servant at the beginning Act 5, Scene 1?

7. Explain Mrs. Fainall's relief at not being found out by her mother.

8. Discuss Mrs. Marwood's statements in Act 5, Scene 2.

9. Explain the significance of Sir Wilfull Witwoud's travels.

10. In what way does the discussion of marriage between Lady Wishfort and Sir Rowland differ from the discussion of Mrs. Millamant and Mirabell?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are multiple devious characters in this play. Discuss who they are, their motivations, and their purpose in the play. Did they deserve their outcome? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

How has Congreve worked to make us feel sympathetic to certain characters while having no sympathy for others? Explain your answer with specific examples from the play.

Essay Topic 3

Did you like the ending of the play? Do you think it was consistent with the events leading up to the conclusion? How would you have changed it? Write a brief essay explaining how you felt about Congreve's ending.

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