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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 Kate carrying down the stairs in the opening of Act II?

2. What brand of cigarettes does Stanley say he smokes in Act II?

3. To what store does Jack tell Eugene to go for ice cream in Act II?

4. What does Kate tell Laurie she’s made for dinner tonight in the beginning of Act II?

5. Where is Eugene writing in his memoirs in the opening of Act II?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the relationship between Eugene and Laurie illustrated in the play?

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

3. What news does Jack Jerome receive via a letter in the mail in Act II?

4. How is Brighton Beach Memoirs metaphorical for the onset of World War II?

5. How does Kate respond when Stanley confesses the truth about his salary in Act II?

6. How is Blanche’s appearance described when she enters in Act II? What causes tension in this scene regarding Stanley’s income?

7. Who has sent the letter with Laurie in Act II? What news does the letter relate?

8. Why do Jack and Kate Jerome argue in the beginning of Act II?

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

10. What news does Stanley relate to Eugene in their room in the beginning of Act II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the internal conflicts presented in Act I within the characters of Eugene, Stanley, Kate, Blanche, Nora, and Laurie. How do these conflicts differ from external conflicts? How do these conflicts drive the plot of the story forward?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss playwright Neil Simon and the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. When was the play first produced and where? When did it move to Broadway? How long did it run before closing? How does this play compare with Simon’s other works?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Kate Jerome in the play. How old is Kate? How long has she been married to Jack? What characteristics stand out the most through Kate’s interactions with the family?

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