Death of a Salesman Essay Test Questions:

  • You will respond to one.
  • You will incorporate evidence from the text and one other source (an article we will read at the end of the play).
  • You may plan your essay, but it must be composed in class during the test.

1. Does Biff “cut down his life for spite”?

2. What false values does the play reveal? What are the true values that the play upholds?

3. Does Willy have the wrong dream? Make sure you explain what his dream is and what chance he had of fulfilling it.

4. In what ways was Miller “able to bring both the desperation and the aspiration of American life together in one character”? (This idea is highlighted in the last three pages of “Making Willy Loman” by John Lahr.)

5. What does being a salesman mean to Willy? Be sure to discuss how this affects his life and how it ends.

6. In a well-organized essay, describe how Miler manages to give internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action.

7. Why does Biff steal? What is it he really wants? Explain the significance in relation to his development as a character.

Death of a Salesman Essay Test Questions:

  • You will respond to one.
  • You will incorporate evidence from the text and one other source (an article we will read at the end of the play).
  • You may plan your essay, but it must be composed in class during the test.

1. Does Biff “cut down his life for spite”?

2. What false values does the play reveal? What are the true values that the play upholds?

3. Does Willy have the wrong dream? Make sure you explain what his dream is and what chance he had of fulfilling it.

4. In what ways was Miller “able to bring both the desperation and the aspiration of American life together in one character”? (This idea is highlighted in the last three pages of “Making Willy Loman” by John Lahr.)

5. What does being a salesman mean to Willy? Be sure to discuss how this affects his life and how it ends.

6. In a well-organized essay, describe how Miler manages to give internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action.

7. Why does Biff steal? What is it he really wants? Explain the significance in relation to his development as a character.