Section A Drama: Practice Questions

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, who is the character that initially usurped Prospero’s position as the Duke of Milan?

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, what is the primary significance of Caliban’s assertion: "You taught me language; and my profit on't / Is, I know how to curse"?

In Act 5, Scene 3 of John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, the Duchess’s voice returns as an Echo. What is the dramatic significance of this supernatural element?

What is the primary geographical and social setting of Errol John’s play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl?

In Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, what is the significance of the "son" that George and Martha frequently discuss throughout the play?

In Errol John's play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, what does the recurring sound of the trolley bus represent for the characters living in the yard?

In Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, how does the setting of the 'yard' in Port of Spain function as a catalyst for the characters' conflicting desires for escape and stability?

In Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, what is the primary dramatic function of the various "games" (such as "Humiliate the Host" or "Hump the Host") that George and Martha force their guests to play?

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the concept of 'nurture' vs 'nature' is explored through the character of Caliban.

(a) Discuss how Prospero’s attempts to educate Caliban reflect the colonial dynamics of the play.
(b) To what extent does Caliban’s appreciation of the island’s music suggest he possesses a sensitivity that Prospero fails to acknowledge?

In Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, the yard serves as both a literal setting and a symbolic enclosure for the residents.

(a) Discuss the ways in which John uses the physical layout and the confined nature of the yard to mirror the internal conflicts and frustrations of characters like Ephraim and Sophia.
(b) To what extent does the 'rainbow shawl' of the title offer a genuine sense of hope versus the harsh economic and social realities presented throughout the play?