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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 Conrad claim to be in addition to a farmer?

2. Why is Conrad forced to spend the night?

3. What does Roger believe Kreton belongs to?

4. What nickname does the aide think of when he thinks of Powers?

5. How do Tom Powers and Roger know one another?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the fight excite Kreton?

2. In the end of the play, who is (are) the only character(s) who end(s) up being selfless?

3. Explain where Kreton lives.

4. Was Kreton an evil character? Why or why not?

5. Kreton tells Conrad that humans are "blood thirsty savages." Do you believe this is true?

6. Delton 4 promises to turn time backward, so that none of the events in the play occurred. What good things will thus be erased, as well?

7. Do you think Powers should be directing any military action, knowing he has never been in battle? Why or why not?

8. Why does Ellen claim in Act II she cannot marry Roger?

9. What does Kreton's statement about the food Ellen brings indicate about his position on eating meat?

10. Describe the spaceship, as it is explained by the aide.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Set design is imperative in conveying a specific sense of time and place within any play. Choose one of the following to discuss.

1. Choose one particular room in the set design. Explain all elements of the set, including the props, and explain how those elements are used to describe both the time and the place of the play.

2. Go through each room in the set, and choose one piece in each room that, alone, could convey a sense of time and space. What is the element? How does it function as an indicator of time and space? What else could it represent?

Essay Topic 2

Kreton and Ellen represent dueling forces in "Visit to a Small Planet" and have a major impact on the lives of the other characters in the play.

Part 1. Compare and contrast the characters of Kreton and Ellen by the end of the play. How are these characters the same? How are they different? What changes do the go through as the play moves forward?

Part 2. What would the result have been if Ellen's character had not evolved through the play? Be sure to use information from the novel to discuss your answer.

Part 3. What are the motivations for the actions of each of the characters? Are these motivations similar or different? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, Vidal suggests, through Kreton, that mankind is savage, violent, blood thirsty, and always ready for war. Do you think this is true? Why or why not? Based on the characters presented in the novel, do you believe Vidal portrayed his characters to agree or disagree with this notion? Why? Which characters represent an affinity for war, and which represent opposition to war? Why? Is Kreton correct in his assumptions, based on the character's actions, that humans are blood thirsty? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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