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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. What does Sara say about her and Merv when she enters Act 2, Scene 1?

2. What does Sara knock over during Act 1, Scene 4?

3. The morning after their night together, to whom does Merv compare Sara?

4. What does Sara do after Merv leaves in Act 2, Scene 1?

5. What does Merv say about his feelings for his late wife during Act 1, Scene 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the unseen character of Sonia fit into Act 1, Scene 4?

2. Who do the three sisters toast and why?

3. What sort of emotions does Pfeni seem to exhibit about her work?

4. What truth does Gorgeous speak to Pfeni about Geoffrey?

5. What might the tea kettle Nick gifts to Sara represent?

6. Describe Geoffrey's beliefs about his and Pfeni's work as artists.

7. In Act 2, Scene 1, what is spoken about passion?

8. What secrets that Gorgeous has been hiding are revealed in Act 2, Scene 2?

9. What is the significance of Merv calling Sara by the name Sadie?

10. Explain why Pfeni and Geoffrey were first drawn to each other and crazy about each other when they met.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A theme of familial expectations runs through the play. The character of Rita appears to have had expectations for her daughters. Sara has expectations for Tess that her daughter rebels against. Discuss familial expectations and how those expectations are either fulfilled or altered during the course of the play.

Essay Topic 2

Wendy Wasserstein, the playwright, was part of the theatre community in New York, and would, necessarily as part of it, have been affected by the AIDS epidemic and the lost lives of men young men in that community. Discuss the character of Geoffrey. Why do you think Wasserstein chose to write his character in the way she did. What do you think she was saying about the shortness of life itself and the importance of art?

Essay Topic 3

Passion--or lack of it--plays a part in the play. Choose two characters and discuss the passion in their life (or lack thereof). Remember that passion can be work or a cause or something other than a relationship. Discuss how (if at all) their passion changes during the course of the play.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 770 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample