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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. How much time passes between Acts I and II of Brighton Beach Memoirs?

2. The letter that Blanche receives in Act II says that despite all of Frank’s faults, what “have never been his failings”?

3. What military branch is Stanley considering enlisting in, in Act II?

4. What does Kate offer to cook for Blanche after they’ve made up at the end of Act II?

5. How many days ago does Eugene say his father suffered the physical ailment in the opening of Act II?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the relationship between Blanche and Kate evolve through the narrative?

2. What gift does Stanley give to Eugene in Act II? What is Eugene’s response?

3. What other plays are connected in the trilogy that includes Brighton Beach Memoirs?

4. How does the Jewish heritage of the Jerome/Morton family play into the metaphorical interpretation of the play?

5. When does Stanley return home in Act II? Why does he decide to return?

6. What causes the internal conflicts faced by Blanche Morton in the play?

7. What causes the initial conflict between Kate and Blanche in Act II?

8. How effective was Neil Simon in integrating drama and comedy in his writing of Brighton Beach Memoirs?

9. How much time passes between the end of Act I and the opening of Act II? How has the household changed?

10. How does Eugene respond to Stanley’s departure in Act II? Who does he go to talk to about the situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Stanley’s decision to write a letter of apology to get his job back at the end of Act I. What does this action mean in terms of Stanley’s ethics? Would you make the same decision? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of Brighton Beach Memoirs. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader or audience member?

b. How does Brighton Beach Memoirs compare with other Broadway plays written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Neil Simon’s writing?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the narrative style of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Eugene’s role as narrator in the play. What is the “fourth wall” of the theater and how does Eugene’s narration break the fourth wall? What is this style of speaking to the audience called?

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