A STEP BEYOND

TESTS AND ANSWERS

TEST 1

_____ 1. The opening references to Willy Loman's driving ability

A. serve as introduction to his growing senility
B. set us up for the action at the end of the play
C. are signs that Willy's family doesn't care about him

_____ 2. The tantalizing thing about brother Ben's success in the African jungle is

A. its seeming lack of effort
B. that Willy cannot appreciate it
C. that Willy is unable to share in Ben's good fortune

_____ 3. "A man is not a bird, to come and go with the springtime" is spoken by Linda to

A. Biff
B. Willy
C. Hap

_____ 4. In her famous speech ("Attention must be paid"), Linda Loman is scolding

A. Willy's insensitive employer
B. her sons, Biff and Happy
C. Uncle Charley

_____ 5. Linda is upset over

I. the length of rubber pipe behind the heater
II. Willy's probable suicide attempts
III. Willy's extramarital affairs

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only

_____ 6. Willy uses the death of a salesman story to make a point to

A. Biff and Happy
B. young Bernard, his neighbor's son
C. his boss, Howard

_____ 7. Arthur Miller's often quoted words which have become a common expression are

I. "You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away"
II. "He's... riding on a smile and a shoeshine"
III. "It's who you know and the smile on your face"

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. I, II, and III

_____ 8. Biff's failure to graduate from high school was related to

A. his arrogance about study
B. his obsession with sports
C. his visit to his father in Boston

_____ 9. Out of frustration following his "non-interview" with Bill Oliver, Biff

A. maliciously pulled the fire alarm in his office
B. stole the man's fountain pen
C. smashed the window in the showroom

_____ 10. The immaturity of Biff and Happy is seen

I. when they leave Willy alone in the restaurant
II. in their plans for a sporting goods partnership
III. in their appeal for help to Uncle Charley

A. I and II only
B. II and III only
C. I, II, and III

11. A basic theme of Death of a Salesman is the distortion of the "American dream." What is Willy's relation to this?

12. What is the unique form Arthur Miller devised for Death of a Salesman, and how does it work?

13. Describe the contradictions in Willy's character, and give examples.

14. Discuss the use of symbols in the play.

15. Arthur Miller is a skillful writer for the theater. Analyze his language in Death of a Salesman.

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