View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Shaw's attempt to help Sweet fail?
(a) Sweet has no interest in promoting his ideas to the public.
(b) Sweet looks down on the theater as unacademic.
(c) Sweet dies before he can see the play.
(d) Sweet only writes libelous articles against his fellow academics.

2. What does the Gentleman (Pickering) study?
(a) The psychology of poverty.
(b) Sociology, or the study of human social behavior.
(c) American and British slang.
(d) Dialects spoken in India.

3. What is Freddy looking for at the beginning of Act 1?
(a) Tickets to the theater.
(b) Flowers for his mother.
(c) A taxicab.
(d) Someone to love.

4. Which character in Pygmalion is based in part on Henry Sweet?
(a) Neppomuck.
(b) Higgins.
(c) Doolittle.
(d) Pickering.

5. Why does Liza become upset with Higgins?
(a) She thinks he's spying on her for the police.
(b) He knocks over her basket of flowers.
(c) He makes fun of her accent in front of everyone.
(d) He won't give her any money.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much money does Doolittle demand from Higgins in exchange for his daughter?

2. Based on what you read in the Preface, with which of the following statements do you think Shaw would agree?

3. What does Sweet think of the Pitman system?

4. What does Higgins tempt Liza with just as she is about to leave?

5. Why is Clara annoyed with her mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Flower Girl do at the end of Act 1 that shows she has a sense of pride and dignity about her?

2. What does Higgins think of the Flower Girl's accent? What humorous hyperbole does he use in speaking to her?

3. How does Higgins feel about women?

4. Describe the Flower Girl.

5. What does Higgins boast that he can do for the Flower Girl?

6. Why does Liza's father come to see Higgins?

7. Describe Henry Sweet.

8. Why does Liza become upset when Mrs. Pearce takes her up for a bath? What does this incident show about Liza?

9. What are three methods of phonetic shorthand that Shaw mentions in Pygmalion, and what are they used for?

10. Why does the English language need to be reformed, according to Shaw?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 912 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample