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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Artaud claims that if the theater fails to successfully reproduce the works of the great classics, it is because we have lost the sense of their theater's what?
(a) Importance.
(b) Physics.
(c) Language.
(d) Dynamic.

2. Who, in addition to Shakespeare and Aeschylus does Artaud refer to as a great classicist in his "Letters on Language"?
(a) Sophocles.
(b) Moliere.
(c) Euripides.
(d) Racine.

3. In his last letter from "Letters on Cruelty," Artaud writes "the desire characteristic of _____ is cruelty since it feeds upon contingencies."
(a) Eros.
(b) Athena.
(c) Lust.
(d) Power.

4. According to Artaud, where does the great public look to along with the music hall or the circus for violent satisfactions?
(a) The movies.
(b) Television.
(c) The zoo.
(d) The opera.

5. What does Artaud compare actors of the "current" theater to in "The Theater and Cruelty"?
(a) Religious leaders.
(b) Circus freaks.
(c) Puppets.
(d) Artisans.

Short Answer Questions

1. Artaud claims that the public thinks first of all with its what?

2. In his second letter of "Letters on Language," Artaud states that he finds the duality between author and _____ in the context of theater totally absurd, since there should be no difference between them."

3. In his Second Manifesto, Artaud writes that "the Theater of Cruelty will address itself only to _____ man.

4. What does Artaud write in his first letter of "Letters on Cruelty" that he cannot reveal the particulars of?

5. What film does the author discuss in his first note of "Two Notes"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the stage as described by Artaud in his First Manifesto.

2. What are the different types of breathing the author refers to?

3. Describe the events of the last two acts of "The Conquest of Mexico."

4. What does Artaud write in his "Letters on Language" regarding the psychology of characters?

5. Describe how Artaud defines the images and movement of the "Theater of Cruelty" in his second manifesto.

6. What is Artaud's approach to the audience in the theater of cruelty?

7. Discuss how Artaud's time and place impact his vision of the theater.

8. What are the differences the author notes between the athlete and the actor?

9. In Artaud's "Letters on Language," he insists that the task of "mise en scène" must not be subordinated to spoken or written words as if this task was simply an accessory to theater. What does this mean?

10. What is Artaud's subject in his first note from "Two Notes"?

(see the answer keys)

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