English Mini Quiz

In William Carlos Williams’ poem At The Ball Game, the poet breaks each line without using exact meter or end-stopping with a comma or a period. What is this technique called?

spacing

turning

placement

enjambment

The second stanza of Carl Sandburg’s poem Dreams In The Dusk, is four lines long. What kind of stanza is this?

couplet

tercet

quatrain

none of the above

Crystal Moment by Robert Peter Tristram Coffin is written with which stanza form?

rhyming couplets

tercets

quatrains

none of the above

A free verse poem is most often divided into what type of stanzas?

none; a free verse poem most often has no stanzas

tercets; a free verse poem is made for three-line stanzas

couplets; most free verse poems are composed of two-line stanzas

none of the above.

End-stopped lines are:

lines that end at the end of a phrase or sentence

lines that always end in a period

the last line in a poem

the last line in a stanza

Stopping a phrase or sentence in the middle of a line is:

caesura

punctuation

not something done in poetry

enjambment

White space can be used to:

create a shape for the poem

make readers pause in certain places

contribute to meaning through shape

all of the above

A stanza in poetry is:

a poetic word for line

like a paragraph in prose

used only in odes

a type of figurative language

One effect of caesuras is that:

they are difficult to read

they make reading smoother

they make readers pause a bit and then rush forward

they create a long pause in the middle of the line

The discovery of the dead canary is the climax in the play Trifles because:

it makes the audience feel sorry for Mrs. Wright.

it is the point where we realize men and women are very different.

the question of where the bird disappeared to has been answered.

all clues led to this final one, which told the women that Mrs. Wright was the murderer.

The scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest are part of the exposition of the play because:

everything in the scenes is meant to develop characters and give information about the setting and situation.

it lets us know right away that the play will be a comedy.

it begins with music.

it introduces us to all of the characters at the beginning and lets us know what the conflict is.

Mrs. Peters in Trifles is a dynamic character because:

she is angry at the men’s view of Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping.

she is a stereotypical woman of the time.

she grows from being a sheriff’s wife to someone willing to support a murderer.

she is not a dynamic character.

We are able to discover the setting of Trifles through:

only the stage directions.

stage directions and dialogue.

only dialogue.

a narrator’s description.

The main conflict in Trifles is:

the differences between men and women and their perceptions of each other.

the abusive treatment of caged birds.

women not wanting to be responsible only for house cleaning and sewing.

the sheriff not wanting the women to take things out of the house.

A dynamic character is:

a character who blows up

a character who grows and changes

an aggressive character

a character who reacts with anger

Characterization is accomplished through all of the following, except for:

the things the character says.

what the character does.

description of the character.

comments other characters make about the character.

Plays are usually driven by:

plot

setting

characters

the audience

When developing your characters, it is important to know as much as you can about:

only your protagonist.

your protagonist and your antagonist.

all of your characters.

your protagonist and supporting characters.

All of the following are good reasons for giving your protagonist weaknesses or flaws, except for:

it helps the audience connect, since no one is perfect.

it gives more options for the character to grow.

it creates possibilities for conflict.

it allows the play write to make mistakes without anyone noticing.

The antagonist in To Be Immortal is:

an abstract antagonist.

a physical antagonist.

an unknown antagonist.

August.

All dialogue should:

be easy to memorize.

sound like real conversation and have a purpose.

sound like educated people are speaking.

be difficult to memorize.

In the play To Be Immortal, Adi is the protagonist because:

he has more lines of dialogue than August.

he goes on a mental journey and grows because of it.

he argues with August, the antagonist.

he isn’t the protagonist.

Effective dialogue always either:

creates a surprise ending or a strong climax.

defines relationships between characters or between character and audience.

moves the story forward or stops the action.

defines relationships between characters or moves the story forward.

Theater-in-the-round is good for all but the following:

plays with bare or close to bare sets.

plays where the audience should feel intimately involved.

plays that have elaborate sets.

plays that include audience participation.

Props can be used to:

develop character.

move the story forward.

create reasons for dialogue and action.

all of the above.

Dialogue used right before the climax should:

move the story forward.

define relationships.

develop characters’ personalities.

slow the action down.

What purpose does an inciting incident in your play fulfill?

It gives information about the protagonist and supporting characters.

It provides conflict and starts the protagonist on his or her journey.

It is the same thing as the climax.

It starts the falling action.

The activities given to Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest are most useful in:

keeping the dialogue from being boring.

keeping the audience from knowing how he really feels.

showing us his personality and goals.

all of the above.

A good activity on stage should be:

fun to watch.

exaggerated.

support the dialogue and dramatic action.

whatever the actor thinks it should be.

The activity of jingling keys given to Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard:

adds sound to the dialogue.

is both a symbolic action and supports his emotion.

is really not necessary to the monologue.

should not be included in the stage directions.

All monologues should include all of the following except for:

exposition.

rising action.

climax.

humor.

Read the following stage directions and then choose the best answer for the question.

(JOHN thinks about his life. He feels very depressed at this point and can’t decide what to do)

Are these stage directions effective and why?

Not effective because they tell us things that can’t be seen or heard.

Not effective because they are not formatted correctly.

Effective because they tell us how the character thinks and feels.

Effective because they are formatted correctly.

Monologues can be directed to:

other characters on stage.

the audience.

both of the above.

neither of the above.

The first thing that appears on a script after the title and byline is the:

beginning stage directions.

time and place information.

list of characters.

lighting information.

Monologues can be written for all of the following purposes EXCEPT for:

to focus and emphasize emotion.

to allow a character to have more lines.

to allow a character to confess.

to give important background information.

Which of the following should be included in stage directions?

Characters’ thoughts

Full descriptions of what a character is wearing

When a character enters or leaves

Full biographic background of the characters

Activities are different from action in that:

activities and action are actually the same thing.

activities are physical things done on stage; action is what is done to pursue a goal.

actions are physical things done on stage; activities are what is done to pursue a goal.

the dictionary defines them differently.