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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. Who is the frightening woman who Dudley invites to the bar?

2. For whom does Joe call out and then whistle for?

3. How does Willie acknowledge people?

4. Which of these items is Kitty not talking about in her melancholy state?

5. What does Joe send Tom out to buy?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joe want Tom to do with the gun?

2. What things does Joe tell Tom to buy?

3. How does Nick show his soft-hearted side to those who are down on their luck?

4. How does Tom behave when he discovers Kitty is a prostitute?

5. How does Kitty respond when Nick insinuates that she is a prostitute?

6. How does Joe explain Tom's love for Kitty and how Kitty deserves to have a nicer life?

7. What do Tom and Kitty symbolize for Joe/

8. How is Nick's character further revealed in Act 4?

9. How does Joe verbally keep Tom in a subordinate position?

10. How are the longshoreman, McCarthy, and the policeman, Krupp, described in Act 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alcohol seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the abuse? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? How does it affect the abusers? How does it affect those impacted by the abusers? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

What is your interpretation of the play's title, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE? Does Saroyan mean to imply that these characters are living a good life? Or is there a message he wants the reader to learn from reading about the characters? Or is it something else entirely? Support your answer with examples if possible.

Essay Topic 3

Create a brief character study on Joe. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him--if anything--at this point in his life?

(see the answer keys)

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