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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Beatrice's final line in the play?

2. Select the character who makes the following statement: "I can't help it what people call you."

3. What kind of animal is featured in one of the student's entries at the science fair?

4. Beatrice speaks with this person during her second phone call in Act 2:

5. What does Janice plan to do with her specimen after the science fair?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the passage in which Beatrice calls herself the "original half-life." Does Beatrice have valid reasons for claiming this? What does this statement say about her attitude toward her daughters? How does this statement relate to the play's main themes? Can parallels be drawn between the true definition of a half-life and Beatrice's own life?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the scenes that incorporate comic relief in Zindel's play.

a) What are some examples of comic relief in the play?

b) What purpose does comic relief serve in the play?

c) Which character brings the most comic relief to the play?

Essay Topic 3

In what way do dreams influence and inform the characters in Zindel's play?

a) Discuss Ruth's nightmare about Mr. Mayo. What kind of impact does this nightmare have on Ruth?

b) Discuss Beatrice's nightmare about riding the horse wagon into a silent neighborhood. Why does this dream frighten Beatrice?

c) Discuss the theme of shattered dreams in the play. Which character or characters has dreams that are never attained? What effect does this have on this character?

d) Which character or characters have given up on their dreams? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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