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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 Lyons shows up, what does Troy correctly think he wants?

2. How much compensation did Gabriel receive as a result of his injury?

3. What does Troy say in response to Rose's concern about Gabriel?

4. What is Troy's response to Rose's argument that times have changed?

5. What was the money Gabriel received as a compensation for his injury used for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Troy say in response to Cory's question about why Troy has never liked him?

2. When Troy and Bono come home after Cory has left for the game, why are they celebrating?

3. Why is Troy, many months after revealing his affair, still coming home every night?

4. When Troy complains that Cory is lazy, how does Rose respond?

5. What has Bono been doing on Friday nights instead of drinking beer with Troy?

6. Why does Troy say he left home when he was a young man?

7. What does Troy say when Rose wonders who's going to bury Alberta?

8. Under what circumstances did Gabriel receive the injury which resulted in a metal plate being placed in his head?

9. When Cory come home after having been gone for years, how is he dressed?

10. Why does Troy say that it doesn't matter that he doesn't have a driver's license?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the structure of the play, examining the time frame during which the play is set. How does Wilson alert the audience/reader to the passage of time from scene to scene? In your analysis, include your ideas about why Wilson made the decision to start the play when Cory was a high school student and end it nearly eight years later. Discuss the ways changes in other characters could only have been accomplished by using that time frame.

Essay Topic 2

Using ideas from the play, explain why you think August Wilson chose to call his play "Fences." In addition to discussing the fence which Troy builds around his house, include your ideas about what other fences exist in the play and why the fence serves as a strong symbol in the play.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze how money affects the following characters: Troy, Cory, and Lyons. Explain why money is an issue for each and what each character does about the issue during the course of the play.

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