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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 Artie ask Bananas to do that he thinks could heal her?

2. What does Bunny stuff into her boots in order to keep her feet warm?

3. Where does Artie tell Bananas that he and Bunny are moving to?

4. What does Ronnie do at the center of the stage at the end of Act I, Part II?

5. Artie agrees to see the Pope with Bunny on one condition. What is that condition?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ronnie's bomb a symbol for?

2. How does the blue spotlight characterize Artie in the Prologue?

3. What is the story the Three Nuns tell Artie when he lets them into his apartment?

4. Why does Artie angrily close the piano lid on top of Bananas' fingers?

5. What act does Ronnie's desire to use the bomb foreshadow?

6. What does the color blue function as in the Prologue?

7. What does the audience learn about in Act II, Scene I, Part I that links all of the characters together in the play?

8. What does Ronnie do with Artie's alarm clock?

9. What does Bananas' dream about wandering around the house and crying illustrate for the audience?

10. What does the color blue mean for the characters in the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Artie sets the precedent in the Prologue for talking directly to the audience, which the rest of the characters do throughout the play. Nontraditional in plays until The House of Blue Leaves, discuss the significance of breaking the fourth wall and its significance to this play. Without this tactic, would the play be the same? Use specific information and quotes from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Why is the Pope such a significant, but unseen character in The House of Blue Leaves? What does he symbolize and why are these characters chasing after him? What do they ultimately want? Construct a thesis driven paper using specific information and quotes from the play to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Bananas and Artie clearly have a dysfunctional relationship. Artie goes through a range of emotions pertaining to Bananas throughout the play before eventually strangling her at the end. Analyze the couple's relationship through a chronological standpoint, assessing the significance of their relationship in the play. Use specific information and quotes from the text to support your response.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 679 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample