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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. A piece of costuming that Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo, and Lucky wear throughout the play is a

2. When Estragon pushes Vladimir to tell him the story about the Englishman in the brothel, Vladimir

3. During the first act, Vladimir leaves the stage to go to the bathroom. When Vladimir returns, Estragon tries to start a conversation. He acknowledges that Vladimir is angry and wants the anger to go away. They end up

4. According to the play's notes, the action begins

5. When Estragon and Vladimir first discuss the tree, they notice it is

Short Essay Questions

1. Estragon and Vladimir have a second conversation about radishes and carrots. How does the conversation differ from the one in Act I and why might Beckett includes this second conversation?

2. The set is very bare with the exception of one significant thing. What is it, and why do you think Beckett used this particular thing?

3. Who are the five characters in "Waiting for Godot?"

4. Vladimir asks Estragon if he has ever read the Bible. What does Estragon tell him?

5. Why do you think Beckett uses the moon to illuminate the stage? Remember that moonlight is different than sunlight and that the moon becomes part of the play in the same way that the tree does.

6. How do Pozzo and Lucky first enter the stage and why do you think Beckett creates their characters this way?

7. What does Estragon do to Lucky later in Act I to get revenge for what Lucky did to him earlier?

8. What do Estragon and Vladimir talk about as the first act is ending, and what actually happens?

9. Vladimir is closely associated with a particular prop. What is that prop? Why do you think Beckett chose that prop and what does it contribute to the play?

10. In Act II, Pozzo finally decides that he and Lucky must leave. Vladimir asks Pozzo if Lucky can sing for them before he and Lucky leave. What does Pozzo tell Vladimir?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How well do you think Beckett's play, "Waiting for Godot," would work as a radio play? Is it critical for the play to be seen, or is it powerful enough to carry Beckett's message with sound alone. Keep in mind Beckett's use of silence (stage directions showing delayed responses) and how that would work on the radio as well as the few things that Beckett does make use of like the tree, the moon, changes in lighting, the hats, Estragon's boots, etc.

Essay Topic 2

There are times that all of us feel as if life is pointless. How did "Waiting for Godot" help you understand that feeling? Did it encourage you because you can see that you are going somewhere in your life, after all, considering what your are doing with your life like going to school and reading plays. Or did it show you that like the characters in the play, you are not doing anything to move your life ahead?

Essay Topic 3

Beckett has very few stage directions. He makes a point of describing the rising of the moon. He could have simply relied on a darkening stage to show the coming of night, but he describes the role of the moon. Why might he have done that? How does it contribute to the feeling of the play at that point? How do the stage directions that Beckett did include contribute to the play? Cite specific examples.

(see the answer keys)

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