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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. How does April counter what Frank says about her idea?

2. Of what is the drab, ugly architecture of the Knox Building in New York City where Frank Wheeler works in sales promotion is an emblem?

3. To what does Frank look forward?

4. Of what does Frank reassure April?

5. What does Frank decide to do, regarding Maureen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does April feel after the play? How does this affect her relationship with her husband?

2. About what do the Wheelers and their guests discuss?

3. How did April want to handle the situation she and Frank had been in early in their relationship?

4. What happens when Frank tries to apologize to his wife?

5. Describe Frank's first visit to this building.

6. What does Helen do, while she and her husband sip their tea?

7. How do the children respond to their parents' moods?

8. On what does Ordway quiz Frank?

9. How does the decision to move to Paris affect the Wheelers?

10. How did Frank and April's relationship begin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A theme found in this story regards the difficulties of relationships.

Part 1) How is this theme threaded throughout the play among the various characters?

Part 2) Would you consider this a universal theme? Why or why not?

Part 3) With what message does the author leave the reader at the end of the book, regarding this theme? How do you know this?

Essay Topic 2

Helen Givings becomes a touchstone for measuring the depth of frustration and unhappiness that awaits American suburbanites in the 1950s.

Part 1) How is this statement correct?

Part 2) How does this contrast with the stereotypical suburban housewife and home in the 1950s?

Part 3) Why does this disparity exist between real life in the 1950s and the stereotypical 1950s life?

Essay Topic 3

Frank feels conflicting feelings about his work.

Part 1) Where does Frank work? Why does he have conflicting feelings about his work?

Part 2) How is the plan to move to France affecting him at work? Why does it affect him this way?

Part 3) How does his view of his work situation change over the course of the book? Why do these changes occur?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 958 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample