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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. Where is Ballas located at the end of Act 1, Scene 4?

2. Which phrase best describes the clerk's actions?

3. Who is revealed to be the person that authorized the use of Ptydepe?

4. What does Ballas constantly look to Pillar for?

5. What do Stroll and Savant remark about Maria?

Short Essay Questions

1. What explanation does Ballas offer to Gross and what position does he offer him?

2. What do Hana's habits and actions symbolize?

3. What are some examples of Stroll's initial behavior that further symbolize the intention of keeping Gross out of the loop?

4. What is the game that Helena plays with Gross and what does it symbolize?

5. What are two main issues that Gross has with Ptydepe in Act 1, Scene 1?

6. What does the fact that Gross doesn't know the answers to Lear's Ptydepe questions also symbolize, and what is ironic about it?

7. What is Lear lecturing about during Act 2, Scene 11, and why does it cause Gross to stop and listen?

8. What do Ballas and Column continue to perpetuate by going to lunch in the middle of Lear's lecture in Act 2, Scene 11?

9. What is it about the letter Gross receives that gets his attention, why is it significant to the play, and how does Gross react to it?

10. How does Lear explain Ptydepe in describing the process for learning it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Manipulation is one of the main weapons used against Gross throughout the entire play. Using several examples from the play, describe in detail how Gross is manipulated on a variety of different levels. What is the objective of the manipulation? Why is it effective? Overall, why is manipulation necessary to the way a bureaucratic system functions? How does the play illustrate the way manipulation can lead to control over someone?

Essay Topic 2

The protest in Scene 10 of Act 2 is one of Havel's most blatant illustrations of the dangers he is writing the play to raise awareness of. How does the protest relate to those dangers? What does it say about the bureaucrats involved? Also, explain Pillar's specific role in the protest and the warning Havel is making through his work. Include the significance of Pillar's name and how it fits in with the character's purpose in the plot at this point in the play.

Essay Topic 3

Maria's new independence provides an optimistic ending of the play for the audience. What does it symbolize, not just for the character, but also for the main theme of the entire play? How does her departure symbolize hope? What does it say about freedom in general as it relates to independence?

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