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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. Why is Senator Avila out of place in Scene 12?

2. Who is Lolita Luna rumored to be having an affair with?

3. In Scene 9, Rio remembers her grandmother taking her to a movie starring who?

4. What do Nestor and Barbara promise about the plot in Scene 2?

5. How does Uncle stop Joey from attacking him in Scene 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Imelda Marcos defend herself in Scene 11?

2. Describe Daisy and Santos meeting in Scene 8.

3. How is Joey Sands introduced in Scene 4?

4. Why does Rio Gonzaga return to Manila in Scene 3?

5. Why does Lieutenant Carreon skulk off in Scene 12?

6. In Scene 9, how does Rio's story about her grandmother reflect the changing Manila?

7. Describe the montage of Scene 15.

8. What do Nestor and Barbara say about Philippines history in Scene 2?

9. In Scene 4, how does Uncle goad Joey?

10. What is a dogeater?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dogeaters does not have a clearly defines single protagonists, only characters that are points of entry for audience sympathies. Three characters undergo significant arcs and could serve the role of protagonist. In an essay, discuss the arc of each. What normal existence does each character have at the beginning? How do the events of the play shatter this normalcy? Where does this character end the play? What is his or her catharsis?

Part 1) Joey Sands

Part 2) Daisy Avila

Part 3) Rio

Essay Topic 2

Dogeaters is a sweeping narrative, and it is a play, allowing it many devices to impart information. Write an essay about the use of dramatic devices to impart information to the audience/reader:

Part 1) Discuss the framing device of the play. What is the function of Barbara and Nestor, both as individuals and as devices in the plot? How does the radio drama alter the tone of the play?

Part 2) Write an analysis of the sexual montage that occurs near the end of Act I. Which characters in the play are involved? Do any of them enjoy themselves? How does Hagedorn interweave the different sexual encounters?

Part 3) Discuss the use of monologue in the play. When characters speak directly to the audience, what do they impart? Are they covering narrative, adding emotional nuance, or both? Does the monologue affect the flow of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

In Dogeaters, Jessica Hagedorn juxtaposes the capital city of Manila, the stronghold of the Marcoses, with the hinterland of the Philippine mountain areas. The latter is the provenance for the NPA. Write an essay about the juxtaposition of these two settings:

Part 1) How has Manila changed at the beginning of the play? Discuss the changes that the Marcos regime has enacted. What are they modeling their capital city on, and how do the people of the Philippines feel about this development?

Part 2) Describe the mountain regions outside Manila. How are they different from the rest of the settings in Dogeaters? What groups congregate in this region, and what is their relationship to the Marcos regime?

(see the answer keys)

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