Our Town Test Study Tool

Question 1

What is a Juxaposition?

Answer 1

The placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to emphasize their differences

Question 2

What is an example of a juxapostion in Our Town?

Answer 2

Emily in Act 3 is wearing white as opposed to the living and the dead who are wearing black.

Question 3

What is a paradox?

Answer 3

a statement that seems like a
contradiction but actually
reveals a truth

Question 4

What is an example of a paradox?

Answer 4

“At least, choose an unimportant day…Choose the least important day in your life. It will be important enough” (Wilder 100).

Question 5

What is an Allusion?

Answer 5

A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that adds greater meaning to the piece of literature.

Question 6

What is an example of an allusion?

Answer 6

“Yes…People are meant to go through life two by two. Tain’t natural to be lonesome” (Wilder 53).

Question 7

What is Drama?

Answer 7

a genre of literature written to be performed on stage before an audience

Question 8

What is an Act?

Answer 8

One of the main divisions in a play

Question 9

What is a Scene?

Answer 9

A division of an act

Question 10

What are Stage directions?

Answer 10

Italicized comments that identify parts of the setting or the use of props or costumes, give further information about a character, or provide background information

Question 11

What is Dialogue?

Answer 11

The conversation between characters

Question 12

What is Scenery in a play?

Answer 12

Hangings, draperies, structures, etc., used on a stage to represent a locale or furnish decorative background.

Question 13

What is Pantomiming?

Answer 13

A play or form of entertainment in which the performers express themselves mutely by gestures, often to the accompaniment of music.

Question 14

What is the significance of pantomiming?

Answer 14

ASK IN CLASS

Question 15

What is Breaking the Fourth Wall?

Answer 15

Acknowledging and/or speaking directly to the audience

Question 16

What is the significance of Breaking the Fourth Wall?

Answer 16

ASK IN CLASS

Question 17

Who is George Gibbs and what is his role in the story?

Answer 17

He is the boy next door, a typically vain and irresponsible teenager who mature over time and becomes a responsible husband, father and farmer. He represents the idea of having big dreams for oneself and finding the beauty in companionship.

Question 18

Who is Mr. Gibbs or Doc Gibbs and what is his role in the story?

Answer 18

George’s dad, the town doctor, delivers twins in the beginning of the play (ACT 1), he represents the ideas of life and new beginnings as well as death and the afterlife

Question 19

Who is Mrs. Gibbs and what is her role in the story?

Answer 19

Mrs. Gibbs is a loving wife and mother, who works tirelessly to raise her two children, keep the house clean, prepare meals, do laundry, and carry out other household tasks. She seems happy in her life, but there are hints that she desires something more out of life.

Question 20

Who is Rebecca Gibbs and what is her role in the story?

Answer 20

George’s younger sister. Rebecca’s role is minor, but she does have one very significant scene with her brother, where they look at the moon.

Question 21

Who is Emily Webb and what is her role in the story?

Answer 21

The protagonist of the play/book, she is an A+ student, and falls in love with George. She represents the lesson of valuing the time spent with one another.

Question 22

Who is Mrs. Webb and what is her role in the story?

Answer 22

the mother of Emily and Wally, is a good-hearted woman. On Emily’s wedding day she finds herself unable to give her daughter advice on marriage, though she had meant to do so

Question 23

Who is Mr. Webb and what is his role in the story?

Answer 23

Emily’s Dad, he is the editor of the town’s newspaper, he represents the happenings of the town, as well as the lessons learned from his elders

Question 24

Who is Wally Webb and what is his role in the story?

Answer 24

Emily’s younger brother. Wally is a minor figure, but he turns up in Act III among the group of dead souls. Wally dies young, the result of a burst appendix on a Boy Scout trip. His untimely death underscores the brief and fleeting nature of life.

Question 25

Who is the Stage Manager and what is his role in the story?

Answer 25

The stage manager is a narrator, commentator, and guide through grover's corner. He joins as an actual character of the play as a reverend at the wedding, the soda shop owner, a local townswoman, and he speaks directly to Emily after her death. He represents an over-arching god-like presence within the town.

Question 26

Who is Simon Stimson and what is his role in the story?

Answer 26

Simon Stimson is the town drunk, and the choirmaster, he falls victim of small town gossip, He represents the idea of a small town and everyone talking about everyone else; knowing one another's business.

Question 27

Who is Mrs. Soames and what is her role in the story?

Answer 27

She represents small town gossip and enjoys spreading the latest 'news' to her friends

Question 28

Who is Joe Crowell and what is his role in the story?

Answer 28

The paperboy. He had a bright future as an engineer. He went to MIT He dies after he decides to go to war (WW1) Joe's routine of delivering papers to the same people each morning emphasizes the sameness of daily life in Grover's Corners.

Question 29

Who is Howie Newsome and what is his role in the story?

Answer 29

He is the milkman who travels to houses making deliveries with his horse, Bessie

Question 30

When was Our Town written?

Answer 30

1938

Question 31

Why is the stage manager’s character unusual?

Answer 31

He is omniscient meaning he knows everything, he steps in as minor character roles, he can sees the future/past, dead/living, and interacts with the audience.

Question 32

What is unique about the Our Town scenery?

Answer 32

No props, little scenery, stage is very sparse, this allows the audience’s focus or attention to be on the characters, dialogue, and themes rather than on physical surroundings

Question 33

In what state is Grover’s Corners set?

Answer 33

New Hamspire

Question 34

Who is Bessie?

Answer 34

Howie's Horse

Question 35

Why does George want to find a way to communicate between Emily’s window and his?

Answer 35

To get help with algebra homework and he cares deeply for her so he wants to maintain a connection with her

Question 36

Who is Simon Stimson?

Answer 36

The choir director who is also the town drunk. No one helps him because they think it's best to just stay out of it (wrong!). He ends up committing suicide

Question 37

In the beginning of Act II, who is the “best baseball player” the paper boy complains about losing?

Answer 37

George Gibbs

Question 38

Why do Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb order extra milk and cream in Act II?

Answer 38

preparing for the wedding breakfast for their children, George Gibbs and Emily Webb

Question 39

Doc Gibbs admits that he was worried about what before marrying his wife?

Answer 39

That they would run out of things to talk about and whether he would be able to support a family

Question 40

What does Emily tell George that other people are saying about him?

Answer 40

His popularity has made him conceited(arrogant) and stuck-up

Question 41

When George realizes he doesn’t have money to pay for the sodas, what does he give the drugstore owner as temporary payment?

Answer 41

His gold watch

Question 42

What are the names of the three acts in Our Town?

Answer 42

Daily Life, Love and Marriage, Death and the Afterlife

Question 43

What is the setting of Act III?

Answer 43

The cemetery, and Emily's childhood home

Question 44

What day does Emily choose to return to re-live?

Answer 44

Her 12th birthday

Question 45

What is the significance of the lack of scenery and curtain?

Answer 45

Wilder wanted people to think of their own lives while watching the play - not simply get sucked into the action, he wanted it to direct the audience away from visual distractions and focus more on the characters, dialogue, and themes of the play, he also wanted little scenery to create a sense that the events of Our Town could happen anywhere and at any time, ultimately it encourages reflection on life’s deeper meanings

Question 46

What roles does the stage manager take on during the play?

Answer 46

The Drugstore Owner (Mr. Morgan), The Minister (Officiates wedding), The Man Who Runs the Soda Fountain, The Professor

Question 47

Explain the importance of the repeated phrase (motif) “an ordinary day” in relation to theme and the realization that Emily makes in Act III.

Answer 47

The repeated phrase “an ordinary day” in Our Town serves as a key motif that emphasizes some of the plays central themes, more specifically the beauty and significance of everyday life. The phrase is used multiple times throughout the play (mostly by stage manager) to highlight the simple, often overlooked moments that make up human life. It emphasizes how everyone moment in your life matters no matter how ordinary it may seem, it matters. At the same time, it emphasizes the impermanence of time and how people rarely appreciate the ordinary moments of their lives until it’s too late.

Question 48

Why is the play called Our Town instead of Grover’s Corners?

Answer 48

This helps people relate to it, no matter where they are from or what year it is they can relate to the themes and the experiences that are within the play.

Question 49

What is the significance of the following quote: “There is something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”?

Answer 49

The significance of the quote shows the play’s idea that even though life is short, there’s something lasting in each person. This could be through relationships, the impact we leave, or shared experiences. It suggests that the small, everyday moments matter more than we realize. It reminds us that life keeps going, and the connections we have are important. It encourages us to appreciate the small things in our own lives.

Question 50

What is the significance of the following quote: “They’re sort of shut up in little boxes, aren’t they?”?

Answer 50

This quote is said by the Stage Manager to show how people often live their lives in predictable routines and don’t really think about the deeper meaning of what they’re doing. The “little boxes” represent how people get stuck in their everyday habits and don’t notice the beauty in the small moments. This quote is important because it reminds us that we can get trapped in our routines and miss out on truly living in the moment. It connects to the play’s message that we should appreciate the ordinary things in life before it’s too late.

Question 51

What is the significance of the following quote: “Y’know – Babylon once had two million people in it, and all we know about ‘em is the names of the kings and some copies of wheat contracts…and contracts for the sale of slaves. Yet every night all those families sat down to supper, and the father came home from his work, and the smoke went up the chimney, - same as here.” - Stage Manager Act I?

Answer 51

This quote said by the Stage Manager to show that, even though we remember big events like kings and wars, everyday life is really what makes up history. He points out that in ancient Babylon, families did the same simple things that people do today, like having dinner together or going to work. This helps show that the little moments in life are important and happen the same way no matter where or when you live

Question 52

What is the significance of the following quote: “That’s what it was to be alive. To movie about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those…of those about you. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another. - Simon Stimson Act IV ?

Answer 52

This quote said by Simon Stimson in Act IV, and it shows how he regrets the way he lived his life. He talks about how people often act without thinking about how they hurt others, getting caught up in their own wants and wasting time like they have forever. His words remind us of the play’s theme that life is short, and we shouldn’t take it for granted or act selfishly. Simon’s view from the afterlife shows how important it is to appreciate life while we have it.

Question 53

What is the significance of the following quote: “Oh, Mama, just look at me one minute as though you really saw me.” “It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another.” “I can’t look at everything hard enough” - Emily (various quotes) Act IV?

Answer 53

These quotes from Emily in Act 3, show how she realizes that life goes by too quickly. She wants her mother to really see her and appreciate the moment, but now she understands that people often don’t notice what’s around them until it’s too late. The second quote shows how life moves fast, and we don’t always take the time to appreciate the people we care about. Emily’s last line shows how she wishes she could hold onto every moment.

Question 54

How many years have passed when act II starts??

Answer 54

3 years have passed

Question 55

How many years have passed from Act II to the start of Act III?

Answer 55

9 years have passed