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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. Who has a vision of his/her room being shut up?

2. Garcin sees whom in his vision?

3. What is the temperature like in the room?

4. Which character says that the room is ugly?

5. When Estelle enters the room, who is already there?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Sartre introduce Estelle with her concerns about the sofas?

2. How do you know that these characters are dead and in hell, despite the fact that Sartre does not explicitly state it?

3. What are some examples of foreshadowing in the first part of the play?

4. What does Estelle complain about when she enters the room?

5. What does Garcin in his shirtsleeves stand for? Why does Estelle say she cannot stand a man in his shirtsleeves?

6. Why are there no toothbrushes or beds in the room?

7. Describe Inez's reaction to the Estelle's and Garcin's reasons for why they are in the room.

8. Describe the room in which Garcin finds himself.

9. Why does Inez believe Garcin to be her torturer?

10. When Garcin asks Inez how she knows what a torturer looks like, what does she say?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Because these characters are dead, issues of death and dying strongly affect the way they behave. Describe how each character died, using as many specifics as you can remember from the play. After you describe how each character died, chose one of the following below and write one paragraph:

A) In your opinion, which death was the "worst" or most unfortunate, and why?

B) Describe which death you feel was most appropriate, that is: which character deserved to die the way they did, and why?

Essay Topic 2

In some ways, this play is characterized by a "battle of the sexes" that is also complicated by a love triangle. Closely read Estelle's assertion that "Well, in that case our tastes differ. That's all it proves. [Turning to INEZ] What about you? Do you like men in their shirt-sleeves?"

Answer the following questions:

1. How does this statement characterize Estelle? What does it communicate about her?

2. What does it reveal about Inez?

3. How does it contribute to the rising dramatic tension in the play? How does it affect the intensifying interactions between the three main characters?

Essay Topic 3

Sartre uses symbols to communicate deeper levels of meaning in this play. In an essay, describe the first instances of this symbol, i.e. what it meant and how it was represented at the beginning of the play. Then examine how the symbol evolved, or how the characters' and audiences understanding of the symbol changes over the course of the play. Chose one of the following symbols:

A) The bronze statue.

B) The human eye.

(see the answer keys)

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