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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. To Shaw, what is the main advantage of Henry Sweet's "Current Shorthand"?

2. What does Doolittle promise to do with the money?

3. What should happen with the English alphabet, according to Shaw?

4. Which of the following first interests Higgins about Liza?

5. Why can't Liza read what Higgins writes?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Higgins.

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

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

5. What does Higgins do for the Flower Girl? What prompts him to do so? What does this act suggest about Higgins?

6. What should all great art be, according to Shaw? Do you agree? What does Shaw hope his play will teach?

7. Why does the Flower Girl become upset at the note-taker? What is she most likely afraid of?

8. Why are shorthand methods inadequate for ordinary use?

9. Who are Alexander Melville Bell, Alexander J. Ellis, Tito Pagliardini, and Henry Sweet, and why are they heroes to Shaw?

10. Who are some of the most important people in England, according to Shaw? Why do you think this is so, again, according to Shaw?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the theme of nature versus nurture in the play Pygmalion.

Part 1) Henry Higgins transformsd Liza Doolittle. Does he really change her essential nature, or only the superficial aspects? Explain.

Part 2) Consider Pickering's statement, after the ambassador's party, that "Eliza was doing it so well. You see, lots of the real people cant do it at all: theyre such fools that they think style comes by nature to people in their position; and so they never learn." What does this say about Liza's natural sense of style?

Part 3) Consider how Liza was raised (reread Act 2 for her father's comments about how he raised her). Did Doolittle's nurture (or rather, lack of nurture) harm Liza? Is he to be blamed or credited for the way she is now?

Part 4) While Higgins changes Liza, is she able to do the same with him? Why, or why not?

Part 5) Consider this statement from Higgins: "I cant change my nature." Is this true? Can anyone really ever change his or her nature, or are all changes only superficial? Explain, using examples from the play.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about symbolism in the play.

Part 1) One of Liza's treasured possessions is a birdcage. Consider what a birdcage symbolizes in Liza's life. For instance, what imprisons Liza, and when does she ultimately become free? Examine in particular her conversations with Higgins in Acts 4 and 5.

Part 2) Higgins has a dish of chocolates on the piano. In Act 4, Liza puts her ring into the dish. Why does she do this? What do the chocolates and the ring symbolize for Liza?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you examine the negative consequences of having money and social status in Pygmalion. Liza's father, Alfred Doolittle, is poor but does not wish to have money. Why? When he comes into money, why does he blame Higgins for delivering him into the hands of middle-class morality? Does he make a good point? What are some of the drawbacks to having money? What are the restrictions of being in a particular social class?

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