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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 Egri define as the no-return point and the highest in the scene?

2. What is always relative to someone or something, according to the author?

3. The author believes the writer to be lost if he is spending his time worrying about _____.

4. When a scene ends the same way it begins, it is ____, and therefore boring because it ignores drama, according to the author.

5. What dance does the character of Nora famously dance in "A Doll's House"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Egri cite from the play "Ghosts" to show transition?

2. Why might a writer have difficulty with entrances and exits in his play? What does the writer suggest?

3. What is the opposite of rising conflict?

4. What kind of conflict does the author exemplify in the play "Idiot's Delight"?

5. What is the first division of conflict the author describes in detail in the text?

6. What does the author show in the play "Design for Living"?

7. What is Egri's response to Aristotle's theory on story structure?

8. How does the author relate character to action and environment?

9. What work by Leonardo da Vinci does Egri cite as an example of transition?

10. What does Egri show by example with the play "Stevedore"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the play "King Lear" and Egri's assessment of its premise. Who is the pivotal character? Who is the antagonist?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the characters, plot, and premise of the play "Romeo and Juliet". Which is the pivotal character in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the element of environment and its relationship to character and action. How does the author define "motivation"?

(see the answer keys)

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