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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. What is Elwood Dowd's outlook when Wilson brings him to Dr. Lyman Sanderson?

2. Myrtle Mae Simmons answers the phone as the first scene begins. Who is calling?

3. How tall is Harvey, according to Elwood Dowd?

4. How does Elwood Dowd describe Harvey to Dr. William Chumley's wife?

5. At one point in this scene, Veta Simmons asks Myrtle Mae Simmons to verify what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do you think that Ethel Chauvenet could see Harvey, given that he likes her very much?

2. How do Ruth Kelly and Dr. Lyman Sanderson interact throughout this scene? What does this reveal about their relationship.

3. Veta Simmons explains to Dr. Lyman Sanderson that Elwood Dowd has some quirks, including drinking. What does this imply about Elwood Dowd?

4. How does Elwood Dowd treat everyone on the sanitarium's staff?

5. Is the relationship between the nurse and Dr. Lyman Sanderson purely professional?

6. Describe Elwood Dowd.

7. Given Veta Simmons' reactions to Elwood Dowd and her daughter, do you think she truly disbelieves her brother regarding Harvey?

8. Why is Dr. Lyman Sanderson mortified when he learns that Elwood Dowd has been sent upstairs at the sanitarium?

9. How does Myrtle Mae Simmons feel about her uncle?

10. Why is Veta Simmons trying to get accepted by the town's society folk?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

By the end of Act 2, more people are beginning to believe in Harvey or at least admit there is something to Elwood Dowd's imaginings. Which characters hold some level of belief in Harvey by the end of Act 2, Scene 2? How is the audience brought into this circle of believers? Support your answers from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Describe briefly whether or not you feel Veta Simmons and her daughter were only putting up with Elwood Dowd and his invisible friend because he had inherited everything from his and Veta Simmons' mother, including the mansion? Please provide 2-3 examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the play "Harvey", Mary Chase weaves a theme about how humans need to hold onto their dreams. This is best articulated by Veta Simmons when she is speaking with Judge Gaffney in Act 2, Scene 1. Do you believe the author is trying to say that, although Harvey may not be real, it is important for people to believe in something beyond themselves that, ultimately, makes them better? Please support your thesis from examples based on the text.

(see the answer keys)

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