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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. Which character speaks first in Act I?

2. How does Teach plan to get into the coin collector's house?

3. How does Teach describe the bacon that he gets for breakfast?

4. What is a dead-pig leg spreader?

5. When Don first calls Fletcher, what response does he get?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Don receive ninety dollars for the buffalo nickel?

2. How does Don seem to get angry with Bob over the news about Fletcher?

3. What is the biggest problem that Don seems to be facing in the planning of the robbery?

4. What does Teach tell Don and Bob about the way Ruthie treated him at The Riverside?

5. What is the importance of time in Act II?

6. How does Don use food to console Teach at the beginning of Act I?

7. What new information about Fletcher comes out when Teach and Don argue about how to crack the combination of the safe?

8. What does Bob reveal about why he bought the nickel after he has been hit?

9. What is an example of Teach's unhappy nature in Act I?

10. How does Bob try to make peace between Don and Teach when they begin to argue in Act II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how nicknames are used in the play. What is the significance of Bob calling Don "Donny" at the end of Act II? Is Teach's nickname appropriate for him? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe several instances of the way humor is used in American Buffalo. Does David Mamet use humor effectively? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Don says "action counts" in business. Do you agree or disagree that he made the wrong decision to allow Teach to become part of the break-in plan? How does he take action in this play and the robbery plan in particular?

(see the answer keys)

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