Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh Quiz

Take our free Tennessee Williams quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Take the free quiz now!

What were some of the early signs of Williams' progressive consumption of drug and alcohol? (from Thunder of Disintegration)

He sometimes passed out after two drinks.

He noticed a tendency to fall asleep during dinner, a degree of mental confusion and an inability to think clearly and consecutively.

His speech became slurred.

He had uncontrollable crying jags.

What did Tennessee Williams find most discouraging about his engagement with Hollywood over production of "The Glass Menagerie?" (from The Erotics of Absence)

The refusal of the movie studio to cast Laurette Taylor as Amanda WIngfield.

That the studio insisted on shooting it in black and white, instead of color.

The fact the studio wanted to sensationalize presentation of the drama, instead of respecting it as a work of art.

The fact that "script doctors," or "the cornball department," as Williams called them, wanted to rewrite the ending into something more palatable to them.

What did Dakin Williams do to intervene in his brother's downward spiral after the dearth of Frank Merlo? (from Waving and Drowning)

Dakin bought Tennessee a dog, to replace the one that had attacked him in Key West.

Dakin affirmed for his brother that they were the products of an insane family and that they were, in fact, sane.

Dakin convinced Tennessee to come with him to a specialty hospital in St. Louis to be treated by a world-renown psychiatrist.

He convinced Tennessee to come with him for a visit to their sister, Rose.

After the dismal failure of "Camino Real," how did Williams get back on his feet as the leading dramatist of his time? (from Thunder of Disintegration)

He discussed his homosexuality on a TV interview.

He co-produced with Elia Kazan a Shakespeare play set in contemporary America.

He wrote "Cat on Hot Tin Roof" which won practically every theater award, critical acclaim and immense popularity at the box office.

He acted in one of his own plays, "Small Craft Warnings."

What were the two biggest challenge Tennessee Williams faced at the zenith of his dramatic career? (from Fugitive Mind)

Williams was plagued with self-doubts despite his successes, and the up-and-down nature of hit or flop with his plays tended to undermine his confidence.

Motion picture studios were less enthusiastic about his work, and critics descended upon him like vultures on a piece of dead meat.

He had trouble getting the drugs he wanted and the partners he craved.

He could no longer afford the upkeep of his sister, Rose, and the Screen Actors Guild picketed one of his films.