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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 is the definition of the word Vivian struggles with as she reads on her birthday?

2. What false name does Vivian give a technician?

3. What is Vivian's first appointment in Scene 4?

4. What does Vivian say about medical terms in comparison to the words of Donne?

5. What does Vivian think would be a great loss to her discipline?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does Ashford describe Vivian's essay?

5. What does Vivian think the process would be if she barfed her brains out?

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

7. Explain the cycle of Vivian's chemotherapy treatments as it relates to her overall feeling.

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

9. Why does Jason not want to lower Vivian's dose of chemotherapy?

10. Describe Vivian as she appears at the opening of the play.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the title of the play. What is wit? How is it used in literature? Whose wit is being referred to by the title of the play? What role does wit have throughout the play?

Essay Topic 2

Define mood. What is the overall mood of Wit? How does Edson create this mood? Are there any mood shifts throughout the play? If so, how and when do those shifts occur?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Vivian and Jason. How are they alike? How are they different? How does Edson use these similarities and differences to deepen the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample