THEA 105 Midterm 2 Exam Questions and Answers |
2026 Update | 100% Correct.
1. This genre of theatre relies on heavy metaphorical imagery and usually features
a protagonist going on a journey that ends in their death. We saw an example
from the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
A) Realism
B) Naturalism
C) Absurdism
D) Expressionism
Rationale: Expressionism is defined by its use of metaphorical imagery and often features
a protagonist's journey toward death, as exemplified by the film The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari .
2. One of the most iconic plays of the expressionism movement was written by
Sophie Treadwell and looked at a woman who is executed for the murder of her
abusive husband. This play is called:
A) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
B) Rhinoceros
C) Waiting for Godot
D) Machinal
Rationale: Sophie Treadwell's Machinal is a seminal work of Expressionism, telling the
story of a woman driven to murder and subsequently executed .
3. This American playwright, author of such plays as The Crucible and Death of A
Salesman, is an Ibsen-style realist, interested in exposing social ills and correcting
them.
A) Tennessee Williams
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Lillian Hellman
D) Arthur Miller
Rationale: Arthur Miller is known for his realistic social critiques, with plays like The
Crucible and Death of a Salesman highlighting societal problems, a style influenced by
Henrik Ibsen .
,4. This American playwright, author of such plays as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A
Streetcar Named Desire, focuses on Southern characters and the psychological
complexities of that particular world.
A) Lillian Hellman
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Arthur Miller
D) Tennessee Williams
Rationale: Tennessee Williams is famous for his plays set in the American South, exploring
the psychological depths and complexities of his characters, as seen in his most famous
works .
5. This American playwright, author of such plays as The Children's Hour and The
Little Foxes, focuses on strong female characters.
A) Arthur Miller
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Lillian Hellman
D) Tennessee Williams
Rationale: Lillian Hellman's work is noted for its focus on complex and strong female
protagonists, as in The Children's Hour and The Little Foxes .
6. This American playwright, author of such plays as Long Day's Journey Into
Night, focuses on his own dysfunctional family.
A) Tennessee Williams
B) Lillian Hellman
C) Eugene O'Neill
D) Arthur Miller
Rationale: Eugene O'Neill's plays, particularly Long Day's Journey Into Night, are famous
for their autobiographical focus on his own troubled family history .
7. The element of structure that begins the action of the play, making "this day
different than any other."
A) Resolution
B) Climax
C) Exposition
D) Inciting Incident
Rationale: The inciting incident is the event that sets the main plot in motion and disrupts
the status quo, making the day unlike any other .
8. Information about the past, about people and events before the beginning of
the play. Can be revealed at any point in the story.
A) Resolution
, B) Inciting Incident
C) Climax
D) Exposition
Rationale: Exposition provides the necessary background information, including details
about past events and characters, which can be revealed throughout the play .
9. Some might argue that the ________________ occurs when Macbeth kills Duncan
(the king).
A) Resolution
B) Inciting Incident
C) Climax
D) Exposition
Rationale: The murder of King Duncan is often considered the inciting incident, as it is the
action that sets the chain of events and Macbeth's tragic downfall in motion .
10. In Much Ado, the evil Don John complicates and intensifies the stories of the
two sets of lovers. These complications are what element of structure?
A) Rising Actions
B) Climaxes
C) Expositions
D) Inciting Incidents
Rationale: The complications and intensifications introduced by Don John are the rising
actions that build tension and develop the plot towards the climax .
11. When the three sisters vow to continue living at the last moments of The Three
Sisters.
A) Inciting Incident
B) Rising Action
C) Exposition
D) Resolution
Rationale: The final moments of the play, where the sisters resolve to continue their lives,
serve as the resolution, providing a sense of closure to their emotional journeys .
12. The Three Sisters takes place entirely behind _________________
A) Masks
B) Call and response
C) Aside
D) The Fourth Wall
Rationale: The play uses a realistic, naturalistic style where the audience observes the
characters as if through a "fourth wall," unaware of being watched .
2026 Update | 100% Correct.
1. This genre of theatre relies on heavy metaphorical imagery and usually features
a protagonist going on a journey that ends in their death. We saw an example
from the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
A) Realism
B) Naturalism
C) Absurdism
D) Expressionism
Rationale: Expressionism is defined by its use of metaphorical imagery and often features
a protagonist's journey toward death, as exemplified by the film The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari .
2. One of the most iconic plays of the expressionism movement was written by
Sophie Treadwell and looked at a woman who is executed for the murder of her
abusive husband. This play is called:
A) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
B) Rhinoceros
C) Waiting for Godot
D) Machinal
Rationale: Sophie Treadwell's Machinal is a seminal work of Expressionism, telling the
story of a woman driven to murder and subsequently executed .
3. This American playwright, author of such plays as The Crucible and Death of A
Salesman, is an Ibsen-style realist, interested in exposing social ills and correcting
them.
A) Tennessee Williams
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Lillian Hellman
D) Arthur Miller
Rationale: Arthur Miller is known for his realistic social critiques, with plays like The
Crucible and Death of a Salesman highlighting societal problems, a style influenced by
Henrik Ibsen .
,4. This American playwright, author of such plays as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A
Streetcar Named Desire, focuses on Southern characters and the psychological
complexities of that particular world.
A) Lillian Hellman
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Arthur Miller
D) Tennessee Williams
Rationale: Tennessee Williams is famous for his plays set in the American South, exploring
the psychological depths and complexities of his characters, as seen in his most famous
works .
5. This American playwright, author of such plays as The Children's Hour and The
Little Foxes, focuses on strong female characters.
A) Arthur Miller
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Lillian Hellman
D) Tennessee Williams
Rationale: Lillian Hellman's work is noted for its focus on complex and strong female
protagonists, as in The Children's Hour and The Little Foxes .
6. This American playwright, author of such plays as Long Day's Journey Into
Night, focuses on his own dysfunctional family.
A) Tennessee Williams
B) Lillian Hellman
C) Eugene O'Neill
D) Arthur Miller
Rationale: Eugene O'Neill's plays, particularly Long Day's Journey Into Night, are famous
for their autobiographical focus on his own troubled family history .
7. The element of structure that begins the action of the play, making "this day
different than any other."
A) Resolution
B) Climax
C) Exposition
D) Inciting Incident
Rationale: The inciting incident is the event that sets the main plot in motion and disrupts
the status quo, making the day unlike any other .
8. Information about the past, about people and events before the beginning of
the play. Can be revealed at any point in the story.
A) Resolution
, B) Inciting Incident
C) Climax
D) Exposition
Rationale: Exposition provides the necessary background information, including details
about past events and characters, which can be revealed throughout the play .
9. Some might argue that the ________________ occurs when Macbeth kills Duncan
(the king).
A) Resolution
B) Inciting Incident
C) Climax
D) Exposition
Rationale: The murder of King Duncan is often considered the inciting incident, as it is the
action that sets the chain of events and Macbeth's tragic downfall in motion .
10. In Much Ado, the evil Don John complicates and intensifies the stories of the
two sets of lovers. These complications are what element of structure?
A) Rising Actions
B) Climaxes
C) Expositions
D) Inciting Incidents
Rationale: The complications and intensifications introduced by Don John are the rising
actions that build tension and develop the plot towards the climax .
11. When the three sisters vow to continue living at the last moments of The Three
Sisters.
A) Inciting Incident
B) Rising Action
C) Exposition
D) Resolution
Rationale: The final moments of the play, where the sisters resolve to continue their lives,
serve as the resolution, providing a sense of closure to their emotional journeys .
12. The Three Sisters takes place entirely behind _________________
A) Masks
B) Call and response
C) Aside
D) The Fourth Wall
Rationale: The play uses a realistic, naturalistic style where the audience observes the
characters as if through a "fourth wall," unaware of being watched .
