View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Christian do while he waits for Mama to appear in Scene 6 of Act One?

2. What action does Sophie take as she tells Salima that Fortune will not leave until he sees her?

3. When Mama comes to the doorway in Scene 3 of Act Two, who is standing outside the door?

4. The person standing outside the bar at the opening of Scene 1 of Act Two is described as being "like a" what "guarding the gates" (63)?

5. Mama tells Sophie that taking what action against Josephine would ensure an attitude adjustment?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an instance when Nottage utilizes the motif of animals in order to underscore the brutality of war.

2. What does Mama tell Fortune in Scene 3 of Act Two as he stands in the pouring rain outside the bar?

3. What reasons does Salima provide to Sophie when she says she does not know if she can forgive Fortune?

4. Who was Beatrice?

5. What was the cause of the pastor's ultimate fate, according to Christian?

6. What is revealed to be the fate of the missing pastor and who delivers this information?

7. What is the setting of Scene 5 of Act One?

8. What action does Mama take immediately after she hears the news Christian delivers in Scene 6 of Act One?

9. What action does Mama take immediately after accusing Sophie of stealing in Scene 5 of Act One?

10. What does the pot symbolize within the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What messages does Nottage send about hope and what themes are employed in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the role of family within the text Ruined. What types of family relationships are represented and how does Nottage use their variety to inform many of the work's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Nottage’s play Ruined. What message is Nottage sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,001 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample