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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. Where is tea being served to the ladies after the vote in Act 3, Scene 4?

2. Who speaks up with questions when Ill takes the stage at the town meeting in Act 3, Scene 4?

3. Where does Act 3, Scene 2 take place?

4. What does the author claim that Claire does not represent in the play?

5. What has Ill's son bought in Act 3, Scene 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is absurd about the proposition made to Claire in Act 3, Scene 1?

2. What does Durrenmatt mean regarding "not imposing excessive meaning" in the postscript?

3. What are Ill's final requests before dying?

4. Who meets Claire in Act 3, Scene 1? Why?

5. Why is the vote held twice in the final scene? Why do the reporters leave?

6. What does Claire reveal to her guests in Act 3, Scene 1 regarding Guellen?

7. How has Ill's character undergone a drastic change in Act 3, Scene 2?

8. What is expressed in the final song of the play?

9. What does the author suggest the play resembles in the postscript?

10. How did the child of Ill and Claire die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the terms "action" and "objective" in relation to the character of Claire. Describe some of the actions this character takes and the motivating forces behind them.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the elements of tragedy in the play. What staging characteristics are similar to Greek Tragedy? What themes are relevant to both?

Essay Topic 3

What do the townspeople sing in the final chorus of the play? How does this represent the author's views of poverty in comparison to greed?

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