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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 tells a story about seeing a man in the underground reading a newspaper in The Bald Soprano?

2. What does the professor say the pupil has a tendency to always do when doing arithmetic?

3. Where is Mr. Martin originally from in The Bald Soprano?

4. Where would the professor just as soon live in The Lesson?

5. Who is seated on stage at the opening of The Bald Soprano?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the maid and the professor do at the end of The Lesson?

2. What happens in the beginning of The Lesson? What is the setting?

3. Discuss the differences between The Bald Soprano and the other plays in the collection.

4. What is the effect of reading the stage directions before the action in The Lesson?

5. Why are the initial stage directions atypical in The Lesson?

6. How does the ending of The Lesson relate to the other plays' endings in the collection?

7. Discuss tension and satire thematically in The Bald Soprano.

8. What does the ending of The Bald Soprano mean?

9. What initial conversation takes place between the professor and the pupil in The Lesson?

10. What is notable about the title of The Bald Soprano?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the plot structure of the play The Chairs. Where is the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution? Define these in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the meaning of the invisible guests in The Chairs. How do they compare with the orator? Are they real or imaginary?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Nazi armband in the play, The Lesson. What is the significance of this? How does its use break from typical absurdist style?

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