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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 two items are mentioned several times in this section as part of a time slip?

2. What "modish novelty" does Carr disapprove of in Bennett (14)?

3. Where was Carr when he heard about the offset of the First World War?

4. Which of the following locations is not mentioned by Carr as he describes the horrors of the First World War?

5. How does the style of dialogue change as the new characters enter in this section?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Henry Carr dismiss the writings of Marx in this section?

2. How does Bennett become an asset to Lenin?

3. Why does Cecily believe the British are unusually bumbling in their spying on Lenin?

4. How does Carr respond to Tzara's Dadaist sentiments?

5. What opinion do the Bolsheviks have regarding bourgeois-capitalist democracy in Russia?

6. How does Gwen react to Tzara's poem?

7. What is the purpose of Gwen and Joyce's visit in the limerick scene?

8. What questions does Carr attempt to answer regarding Dada?

9. How does Carr incorrectly describe Lenin in this monologue?

10. What are time slips?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Over the course of the play, many characters argue the virtues and vices of new art. Each of the major figures has a different view regarding art's place in society. Write an essay discussing these viewpoints, focusing on the four major characters of the play. What does each think about the role of art? What is the value of old art? What about new art like Dada? What lesson is art meant to impart to its audience?

Part 1) Henry Carr

Part 2) Tristan Tzara

Part 3) James Joyce

Part 4) Lenin

Essay Topic 2

Truth and confusion is a central theme of Travesties. The play itself is a story told by an elderly and senile man, and it examines the unlikeliness of ever knowing for certain with the truth of a story is. Write an essay about memory and confusion, focusing on three aspects of the play:

Part 1) This play opens and closes with monologues by Henry Carr, and throughout he interrupts the action to explain it and himself. What apologies and explanations does he make regarding his memory? At what points does he become defiant regarding the truth of his story?

Part 2) Throughout the play, Stoppard has what are called time slips, moments when the action repeats itself and changes slightly. What do these time slips reflect? When do they occur, and how do they change the meaning of much of the action?

Part 3) What, in the end, can the audience believe about Henry Carr's story? What assertions turn out to be completely false? What is Stoppard saying about the human inclination to self-mythologize?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the play cordial, Wilde-esque conversations give way to bouts of unrestrained antipathy between characters. Write an essay about the breaking of the formal shell in the play, focusing on three such outbursts:

Part 1) What is the breaking point for Henry Carr when discussing art with Tristan Tzara in their first conversation of the play? How is Dada so offensive to him? What does Tzara say about the war that infuriates him?

Part 2) Why does Tzara think that Joyce is patronizing him when they discuss Dada in Act 1? How do they differ in their view of classical archetypes in art and literature?

Part 3) Examine the library scene between Cecily and Carr at the beginning of Act 2. What is Cecily's breaking point in discussing Marxism? What patronizing statement does Carr make that sets her off?

(see the answer keys)

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