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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 fruit is the same size as Vivian's tumor?

2. How does Vivian occupy herself while she waits for her physical exam?

3. What is the struggle in the beginning of the sonnet, according to Ashford?

4. Who takes Vivian's medical history in Scene 4?

5. How long would Scene 6 last if Vivian had written it?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Vivian's diagnosis so concerning?

2. What are the two examples Vivian gives of being asked the standard greeting?

3. Why is Ashford unhappy that Vivian used the translation of Donne that she did? Why does Ashford prefer Gardner's edition?

4. How does Ashford describe Vivian's essay?

5. How does Vivian's father teach her the word “soporific?”

6. How does Vivian foreshadow, or hint at, her fever prior to Scene 8?

7. What are three things Vivian think about while Kelekian is explaining her diagnosis?

8. Why does Vivian explain her career while the technicians perform their tests?

9. When and how did Vivian discover words would be her life's work?

10. How does Vivian describe the introduction her colleagues would write?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define symbolism. Give at least one example of symbolism used in Wit. What is this a symbol of? Why is it important to the play?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the parallel between Vivian's study of Donne and her battle with cancer. How does the study of Donne complement Vivian's illness? Why is cancer more difficult for Vivian than the study of Donne? What does this parallel reveal about Vivian's character?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the importance of John Donne to the play. What role does Donne play in the story? What is Vivian's relationship with Donne? What is the parallel between Donne's works and Vivian's experience with cancer?

(see the answer keys)

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