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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 does Levene offer to pay Williamson the money for the leads?

2. What have the salesmen been offered if they win the sales contest?

3. How does Moss know so much about Jerry Graff?

4. How much does Moss eventually promise to give Aaronow for the robbery?

5. What two supposed synonyms do Aaronow and Moss parse as they discuss robbing the office?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reassurance does Roma give Aaronow about talking to the police?

2. In what ways do people deal with the uncertainties in life according to Roma?

3. How does Moss initially broach the idea of robbing the office?

4. How does Levene characterize the leads he is given?

5. Why is Roma frantic when he enters the office in Act 2?

6. What new information does the audience find out about the contest in this scene?

7. How does Williamson respond to Levene's offer of money?

8. What is Roma trying to tell Lingk about opportunities in life?

9. Describe the setting of the second act.

10. How does Jerry Graff get started in business on his own?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the setting of the play. What is Mamet saying about the world that these men inhabit? Does he believe they can ever escape it, or does the constant grinding follow them everywhere they go? What lives do they have outside of this world? Divide the essay into two parts analyzing the significance and connection between these two locations:

Part 1) The Chinese restaurant

Part 2) The office

Essay Topic 2

One of the central drivers of plot in the play is the sales contest. Write an essay on this contest in three parts:

Part 1) Williamson is the bearer of new from Mitch and Murray, and he endeavors to explain the reasoning behind the contest. How does he defend the contest to Levene? Do you think it is intended to increase revenue, reduce the work force, or both?

Part 2) Levene, Moss, and Aaronow all decry the idiocy of the contest in the first act. What are their points regarding it? How was the business run in the past in terms of compensation? Do you think these men have a point?

Part 3) What unintended consequences result for the institution of this contest? Does the company ultimately benefit from it? What problems does it cause for Williamson and the salesmen?

Essay Topic 3

Mamet's play is essentially about what is hidden in our speech. Every character in the play wants something, but he conceals his desires behind small-talk, jargon, platitudes, and vulgarity. Choose one character from the play and analyze in an essay how he conceals his objectives. What does he want? How is his personality an act to distract people from his ultimate design? Does he succeed or fail?

(see the answer keys)

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