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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. When did William London's nose start to bleed?

2. As the days roll on, what does the sailor in Father Flynn's sermon start to have?

3. When the isolated affected people in Father Flynn's opening sermon ask God for help, what is His reply?

4. In the sermon delivered in Scene 1, for how long is the sailor at sea without a navigational aid?

5. In the parable of the sailor, what is the raft made of?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Scene 5, when Father Flynn says that the sound of the wind must have been very lonely in frontier days, under what circumstance does Sister Aloysius say it would be lonely?

2. In Scene 2, what does Sister Aloysius refer to when she says that every easy choice today has a consequence tomorrow?

3. Why does Sister Aloysius say she cannot afford an excessively innocent teacher?

4. In Scene 2, what is Sister Aloysius talking about when she asks: what good is a gift when it is left in the box?

5. In Scene 1, why does the sailor in Father Flynn's sermon feel despair when clouds cover the sky?

6. Why does Sister Aloysius say she cannot close her eyes to the situation with Father Flynn and Donald Muller?

7. Why is Sister Aloysius' work with the rosebush similar to her work at the school?

8. When Sister Aloysius says good teachers are never content, what does she mean?

9. In Scene 4, why does Sister Aloysius say that she cannot live her life in innocence?

10. In Scene 5, what makes Father Flynn have an idea to preach a sermon on intolerance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Scene 6 is extremely short, yet it serves an important purpose in the play. What is the purpose of Scene 6? Why does this brief scene work so well to achieve the author's purpose?

Essay Topic 2

Several times throughout the play we see characters performing typical daily routines, such as pruning a rosebush, listening to the radio, or talking to a basketball team. Yet not a word in this play is wasted. Each action is meant to reveal something about the characters. Write and essay examining two routine actions seen in the play and discuss what they reveal about the character performing them.

Essay Topic 3

There are so many ways in which doubt is raised throughout the course of the play. In Scene 5, we see a confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, and by the end the audience is left wondering if the battle is more personal than professional. What is your opinion on the confrontation? Is Sister Aloysius simply out to get Father Flynn because of personal differences, or is she truly concerned about his professional role with the students and their well-being? Provide examples to support your opinion.

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