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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 Claire say after Elizabeth exits?

2. Who is the first character to come onstage in Act 1?

3. How does Anthony try to distract Claire from worrying about the plant that is not thriving?

4. Which character joins the first character after the curtain opens for the second time in Act 1?

5. What does Harry confide to the first house guest?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the first house guest to enter the greenhouse, and what is his first topic of conversation?

2. What does Anthony offer to do when he sees that Claire has strangled Tom?

3. Regarding Claire's two lovers, what action does she take when she enters the greenhouse?

4. The unusual, large, untamed, twisted plants in the greenhouse symbolize what movement in the early twentieth century?

5. What are the names and conditions of the two special plants in the greenhouse?

6. Describe the setting of Act 2.

7. What does Harry realize when Claire runs to Dick?

8. Which character responds to the code-like buzzer, and what does that character do?

9. What is the significance of the plant being called "The Breath of Life," and what is the symbolic importance of the act of blooming?

10. Why is Anthony upset when Dick rushes into the greenhouse for shelter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how the professions of the main male characters reflect or amplify their general personalities. Is it significant that Claire's liaisons outside of marriage are with artistic types?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the symbolism of heat in this play as it relates to love, comfort, and survival. Why is it significant that Claire diverts the heat from her family home to the greenhouse? Why is it significant that a snowstorm rages outdoors, visible through the greenhouse windows?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Claire's relationships with Tom, Dick, and Harry -- the three men in the play with whom she has been intimate. Is it significant that Anthony, who remains loyal to Claire no matter what, is not a love interest?

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This section contains 664 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample