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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What form of treatment does Diana's doctor begin in the ending of Act 1, Scene 8?
(a) Water therapy.
(b) Brain surgery.
(c) Shock therapy.
(d) Hypnosis.

2. Who is the protagonist's husband in Next to Normal?
(a) Dan.
(b) Gabe.
(c) Dr. Fine.
(d) Henry.

3. Where does Henry visit Natalie in Act 1, Scene 9?
(a) At a park.
(b) In an internet cafe.
(c) Backstage at a concert.
(d) At a shopping mall.

4. What does Gabe say in Act 1, Scene 8, indicating that he is alive not only to Diana, but in other ways to Dan and Natalie too?
(a) "I own you."
(b) "I live on."
(c) "You remember."
(d) "I cannot be forgotten."

5. Who comments that Dan doesn't truly care about what happened to him or about what is happening to Diana in Act 1, Scene 6?
(a) Gabe.
(b) Natalie.
(c) Henry.
(d) Diana.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who claims that he sits behind Natalie in several classes and knows her schedule in Act 1, Scene 2?

2. In what year did Next to Normal win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama?

3. In what year was Next to Normal nominated for eleven Tony Awards?

4. What is the name of the protagonist's daughter in Next to Normal?

5. What song does Dan sing accompanied with the Voices in Act 1, Scene 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. What takes place at the family dinner in Act 1, Scene 5?

2. What does Gabe sing with Natalie about in Act 1, Scene 7?

3. What does Dr. Madden reveal after Diana's song in Act 1, Scene 10? What treatment does he suggest?

4. What structurally takes place in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11? What film is references in these scenes?

5. What are Henry and Natalie doing in Act 1, Scene 4? Who watches them?

6. What song is performed by Diana and Gabe in Act 1, Scene 10? What does Gabe encourage Diana to do?

7. Describe the symbolic and metaphoric elements in Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11. What object becomes important in these scenes and why?

8. What is the song "I Miss the Mountains" metaphorical for? What does Diana do while singing it?

9. What does Dan sing about in the song "It's Gonna Be Good"? Where is he?

10. Describe the structural elements which stand out in the first scenes of Act 1. How is musical improvisation used as a literary technique?

(see the answer keys)

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