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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. Who says, "My father was a peasant, an idiot?"

2. Who picks up the keys at the end of Act III?

3. What did Lopakhin's father do to him when Lopakhin was a child?

4. What does Yepikhodov break in Act III?

5. What effect comes from having the railway closer to the estate?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lyubov feel about her lover? How does she show her feelings?

2. Where do the telegrams arrive from? What do they say?

3. What is the emotional state of Lyubov at the end of Act III? Why?

4. What is the emotional state of Lyubov at the beginning of Act III? Why?

5. Who buys the estate at auction? How did this come about?

6. Who is Deriganov? How does he/she play into the plot?

7. Does Firs have loyalty to the family? How do we know?

8. What is the relationship between Yasha and Dunyasha?

9. Who is Pishchik? How does he know the family? What request does he make to Lyubov repeatedly in Act II?

10. How does Trofimov feel about the upper classes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chekhov was known as one of Europe's most "ecological playwrights." The use of trees and their demise was common in his works. How does this play out in The Cherry Orchard? What events during this time in history would have affected the ecological system in Russia? How does Chekhov use trees in The Cherry Orchard to make his political and ecological viewpoints known?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the settings in The Cherry Orchard. What does the setting of each act represent within the play? Why are there setting changes? What themes are revealed through the surroundings in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characteristics of Varya and Anya. How do they relate to each other and to other characters throughout the play? How are their appearances similar or different? Compare their outlooks on life, their philosophies and religious beliefs. What other characters in the play do they most reflect?

(see the answer keys)

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