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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 does Bernarda order Poncia to bring her and the mourners at the beginning of Act 1, Part 2?

2. What does Maria Josefa say that she wants to do near the end of Act 1, Part 3?

3. What does Martirio say is one of the few good things she has left in her life?

4. Complete the sentence spoken by Bernarda in the play, "With the ___ that opens all doors, and the hand that closes them."

5. Where does Poncia go to listen to the last prayers of the day?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of Adela, Martirio, and Bernarda's argument regarding the woman who killed her child?

2. How does Poncia suggest they could use the lace?

3. What does Poncia do to Adela's bedroom door at the end of the play?

4. What does Bernarda tell her daughters when they begin arguing in Act 2, Part 2?

5. What does Magdalena suggest to Adela about Pepe in Act 1, Part 3?

6. Why is a large crowd gathering near Bernarda's house that the daughters watch in Act 2, Part 3?

7. Why does Poncia say the men on the patio gave her money in Act 1, Part 2?

8. How does Adela react when Martirio suggests she didn't sleep well in Act 2, Part 1?

9. In what way do the Servants' attitude change once Bernarda returns from her husband's funeral?

10. How does Bernarda's daughters react to her suggestion about what they should do during their eight years of mourning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The character Bernarda is perhaps one of the most complex and intriguing presences in the play. Part 1.) What is the nature of Bernarda? Part 2.) What seems to be Bernarda's motivations for enacting such control over the people in her life? Part 3.) What trials might Bernarda be dealing with to account for her being so tyrannical over those living in her household.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of the family house in the play. What might the author be hoping for the house to represent in terms of freedom and imprisonment in the play? What role does the house play in the fate of those living in it?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's portrayal of morality in the play. What lengths does Bernarda go through to ensure her family's morality is kept intact? What reasons does the author have for presenting morality in such a way in the play?

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