Chapter 8

The modern playwright of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century who often employed the tragicomic form is

Anton Chekhov.

Which Greek play by Aristophanes uses the comic premise that women can withhold sex to keep the men from going to war?

Lysistrata

One example of heroic drama in the modern period is by George Bernard Shaw, entitled

Saint Joan.

Of the following Shakespearean plays, which is known for effectively exploring plot complications?

The Comedy of Errors

An early domestic drama was.

The London Merchant by George Lillo.

Movies use characteristics of melodrama. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the form?

The main character is never placed in danger.

The term slapstick refers to

a stick used in a raucous, knockabout comedy.

The characteristics of traditional tragedy include tragic heroes and heroines, tragic circumstances, tragic irretrievability, and...

acceptance of responsibility and tragic verse.

Of the following, what does tragedy attempt to do?

ask basic questions about human existence

Heroic drama differs from tragedy in two ways. The first is in having a happy ending. The second is in...

assuming a basically optimistic worldview even when the ending is sad.

Of the following, which type of comedy is described as a ludicrous imitation of other forms of drama? (The term is also used to describe a type of variety show featuring low comedy skits and attractive women.)

burlesque

Of the following, which type of comedy uses comic techniques to debate intellectual propositions, presenting a particular moral and social point of view?

comedy of ideas

Of the following, which type of comedy is concerned with pointing out the foibles and peculiarities of the upper classes and relying heavily on witty phrases to create comic moments?

comedy of manners

Of the following, which type of comedy is much like contemporary television situation comedies and is described as dealing with family situations?

domestic comedy

Which form of tragedy or serious drama was predominant in the twentieth century?

domestic drama

True or false? Bedroom farce is a form of comedy that uses stock characters and characters with dominant traits.

false—that describes commedia dell'arte

Of the following, which is a type of comedy that thrives on exaggeration in both plot complications and physical humor—its aim being entertainment with no pretensions toward intellectual stimulation?

farce

Along with tragedy, other forms of serious drama include...

heroic drama, domestic drama, and melodrama.

The three primary characteristics of theatre of the absurd are

illogical plots, language that uses nonsense and non sequitur, and characters that are existential beings.

Modern tragedy began...

in the late nineteenth century.

The effect of tragedy is seen in two contradictory responses. One is negative, seeing the world as cruel and uncompromising. The other...

is positive, finding optimism in the manner in which the heroes and heroines meet their fate with dignity.

A word that sounds like the right word but means something quite different is known as a(n)

malaprop.

Which of the following best describes tragicomedy?

plays which have a mixed point of view, melding serious and comic perspectives into one "bittersweet" perspective

Spawning a new genre of tragedy, this literary movement celebrates the spirit of hope, personal freedom, and natural instincts.

romanticism

According to you textbook which of the following is NOT considered a form of serious theatre?

satire

Of the following, which type of comedy can be described as having more intellectual and moral content than other forms of comedy? This form uses wit, irony, and exaggeration to attack or expose evil and foolishness.

satire

Melodrama was a popular form during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The word "melodrama" has Greek roots, meaning music drama or...

song drama.

Which of the following is NOT a technique of comedy?

strong emphasis on suspense

Commonly, in comedy, actions do not have the consequences that they do in real life. This characteristic is known as...

suspension of natural laws.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of traditional tragedy?

temporary suspension of the natural laws of probability

One of the arguments against modern tragedy focuses on...

the inability of prose to articulate the lofty concerns of tragedy.

The term bourgeois refers to...

the middle class.

What is one characteristic that distinguishes modern tragedy from traditional tragedy?

the use of the common man rather than royalty or nobility as the main characters.

The two types of tragedy are...

traditional tragedy and modern tragedy.

True or false? An idea or concept that turns the accepted notion of things upside down and becomes the basis of the play is also known as the comic premise.

true

True or false? Theatre of the absurd is a post-World War II form that focused on humanity's sense of alienation and its loss of bearings in an illogical, unjust, and ridiculous world.

true