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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. Flan is shocked that his son lets Paul call him what?

2. Which of the following characters tries to leave in the chaos of applying first aid to Paul?

3. Who calls the Kittredges soon after Paul leaves?

4. Why does Flan need to call his lawyer at the end of this section?

5. At what time does Paul say he has to meet his father?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Trent Conway assist Paul in his fraud?

2. How do the Kittredges conspire to find Paul at the end of this section?

3. What information has Flan been keeping from Ouisa that he tells her at the end of this section?

4. Describe Paul's entrance.

5. What story do Flan and Ouisa send the New York Times?

6. What does Sidney Poitier say to Ouisa in her dream?

7. What are the Kittredges doing the night that Paul finally calls them?

8. What new film project does Paul describe in this section?

9. What does Ouisa discover when she wakes Paul in this section?

10. During the opening moments of the play, what do Ouisa and Flan do onstage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Time and again in this narrative, the question of race in America crops up. Write an essay on the idea of race in the world of this play. Do the Kittredges seem to have any other black acquaintances besides Paul? What realities of black life in America does he bring into their lives? What darker realities about race arise from the polite liberal facade of the parents in the play?

Essay Topic 2

Paul's deceptions throughout the play are met with a combination of incredulity, rage, and sadness. Write an essay about the reaction characters have to Paul's crimes, in three parts:

Part 1) What does Dr. Fine think he is achieving in offering Paul the use of his brownstone? What emotions and social attitudes does the realization of Paul's betrayal evoke in Fine?

Part 2) Why does Flan react so vehemently against Paul and never waver thereafter? What does he think Paul's motivation is in lying to them?

Part 3) Why do the parents become obsessed with discovering the truth behind Paul's deception? Why do they go as far as publishing their story in the New York Times.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the character of Paul. Focus on his objectives as a character. What does he want out of life, and why does lying his way into affluent homes and assuming a false identity help achieve it? What do the Kittredges offer him that the other families do not? Do you think that his objective reveals some psychological scar?

(see the answer keys)

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