GRE Subject Test: Literature in English : Contexts of American Plays

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Literature in English

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All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources

1 Diagnostic Test 158 Practice Tests Question of the Day Flashcards Learn by Concept

Example Questions

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Example Question #81 : Contexts Of Plays

The narrator of Our Town famously breaks what over the course of the play? 

Possible Answers:

A theater seat

A table

The fourth wall

His own arm

The props

Correct answer:

The fourth wall

Explanation:

In Our Town (1938), the setting is the theater itself and the narrator, a stage manager, is both aware of and allowed to interact with the audience. This technique is commonly known as “breaking the fourth wall” (meaning the invisible barrier between the actors and the audience). 

Example Question #501 : Cultural And Historical Contexts

What other Pulitzer Prize-winning play did the author of Our Town write?

Possible Answers:

Mourning Becomes Electra

The Crucible

The Skin of Our Teeth

Glengarry Glen Ross

The Lion in Winter

Correct answer:

The Skin of Our Teeth

Explanation:

Wilder’s 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth also won the Pulitzer Prize. None of these other plays were written by him. The Crucible (1953) is by Arthur Miller. Glengarry Glen Ross (1983) is by David Mamet. The Lion in Winter (1966) is by James Goldman. Mourning Becomes Electra (1931) is by Eugene O'Neil.

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All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources

1 Diagnostic Test 158 Practice Tests Question of the Day Flashcards Learn by Concept
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