Travesties Test | Final Test - Hard

Buy the Travesties Lesson Plans
Name: _________________________ Period: ___________________


Short Answer Questions

1. For what purpose does Carr propose that he and Cecily go to lunch?

2. Where are Lenin and Nadya when the war breaks out?

3. According to Tzara, Huelsenbeck wanted to connect Dadaism to what other movement?

4. What two countries are attempting to prevent Lenin's entry to Russia?

5. How much money does Joyce request of Carr after the play for tickets?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The women of Travesties serve an interesting purpose in the play. They almost serve as counter-balances to the men that court them, elucidating the underpinnings of their beliefs and the truth of their assertions. Write an essay about the women in the play in three parts:

Part 1) Examine the courtship between Gwen and Tzara. How does she challenge him to defend his Dada poetry in a way no one else does? How does he prove the worth of his art in this sequence?

Part 2) Nadya narrates much of the second act of the play. What new information regarding Lenin's attitude toward art does she provide? How does this create a more vibrant portrait of the revolutionary politician?

Part 3) Throughout the play, Henry Carr's assertions seem more than a little suspect. What new information does Old Cecily provide at the end of the play? Does she seem a more reliable narrator than Carr?

Essay Topic 2

As the Revolution in St. Petersburg heats up and the Zimmerwaldists of Switzerland begin to plan their return to Russia, the characters of the play begin to debate how the scenarios delineated by Marx can be realized in the world. Write an essay charting these debates, focusing on Bennett's explanation of Marxism and Cecily's debate with Carr regarding its legitimacy. How does the Russian Revolution conform to the path dictated by Marx? What short cuts are being taken? What is Lenin's importance in the process, according to the theory?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the character of James Joyce. He is one of the most enigmatic characters in the play, but he has one of the deepest verifiable relationships with Henry Carr. The first half of the essay should concern his art. How does Ulysses fulfill a primal need that he has for literature? What special significance does he assign to the character of Odysseus? The second half should concern his attitude toward money. To what extent does indebtedness and miserliness plague his association with Carr? Is it possible that these attributes may be a creation of Carr the storyteller?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 461 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Travesties Lesson Plans
Follow Us on Facebook