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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 language is outlawed?

2. The first time the guard jabs the Old Woman in Act 2, it's because she said, "I have _______."

3. What do the guard and the prisoner have in common?

4. How do the Old Woman and the prisoner communicate?

5. The Young Woman does not speak ________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the relevance of the voice-over in Act 2?

2. Is the Sergeant generally apologetic that Sarah is in the room?

3. Is the guard passive?

4. What do the soldiers represent?

5. What is the Officer's attitude towards women?

6. Is the Old Woman brave?

7. Why is the Sergeant annoyed when he enters in Act 3?

8. Does the guard have the same attitude in Act 4 as in Act 2?

9. Why does the Officer become angry with the women when he asks their names?

10. Why do the Old Woman and her son have the opportunity to talk?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Sergeant is the only character who appears in every scene and is the most senior person in the prison. Discuss his roles as both protagonist and antagonist and his importance to the play, both in subtlety and blatant action.

Essay Topic 2

There are elements of the setting (both time and physical) that are very concrete or very abstract. Discuss this use of ambiguous setting to develop an explanation Pinter's goal in using this type of setting.

Essay Topic 3

Half of the characters in Mountain Language are given names, while the other half are not. Discuss this balance of ambiguity and specificity and how the presence or absence of name defines the character and what they represent.

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