,CHAPTER 1
THE IMPULSE TO PERFORM: ORIGINS – Test Questions
MATCHING
1. Match the key term with its definition.
The Kwakwaka’wakw :: Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of the United
States and the Southwest Coast of Canada
Day of the Dead :: A ritual of Hispanic heritage to remember family members who have
died and celebrate their lives
Kachinas :: Spiritual guardians of the Hopi Indians
Dionysus :: Greek god in whose honor festivals were presented
Euripides :: Author of Medea
Corpus Christi :: Late spring festival to celebrate the sacraments of the church associated
with the body of Christ
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. According to Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal, what was the first human invention?
A. Story telling
B. Theatre
C. Dance
D. Survival
Ans: B
Page: 1
3. In the theatre, the playwright and the actor together present stories in the form of ________.
A. Fiction
B. Narrative
C. Action
D. Song
Ans: C
Page: 1
4. What distinguishes theater from movies, television and most other electronic media?
A. The actors are less accomplished
B. Special effects are much simpler
C. The actor-audience relationship
D. Nothing, they are essentially the same
Ans: C
Page: 1
,5. Which of the following is not an element of the Kwakwak’awkw whale performance
described in the book?
A. The use of masks
B. Only men were in attendance
C. Performances were lit by a fire burning in the center of the space
D. The depiction of animals
Ans: B
Page: 2-3
6. According to the book, what particular desire are most human beings born with?
A. The desire to participate as an audience member
B. The desire to participate in ritual
C. The desire to role-play and perform
D. The desire to direct others
Ans: C
Page: 5
7. Which of the following is an example of role-play enacted by children?
A. Playing house
B. Playing school
C. Wearing a superhero cape
D. All of the above
Ans: D
Page: 5
8. The actor, Bill Irwin, often approaches the roles he plays by asking himself which question?
A. What is the major action?
B. Who is my character?
C. What am I afraid of right now?
D. What are the other characters saying about my character right now?
Ans: C
Page: 5
9. Which of the following is not considered a secular ritual in the United States?
A. High School Graduation
B. College Football Game
C. Beauty Pageant
D. Church Service
Ans: D
Page: 6-7
10. What do the Hopi believe that the intervention of the kachina will inspire?
A. Rain to ensure the success of their crops
B. Healing for tribe members who fall ill
C. Success in battle with other tribes
, D. Power over all animals
Ans: A
Page: 8
11. How many different kachinas are there?
A. One
B. Fewer than fifty
C. One Hundred
D. Over three hundred
Ans: D
Page: 8
12. The first and last observations of the kachina cycle coincide with which events?
A. Earthly-life and after-life
B. The winter solstice and the anticipation of the harvest
C. The vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox
D. The first birth in the tribe and the first rainfall of the year
Ans: B
Page: 8-9
13. What is not true regarding kachina dances?
A. The cycle is initiated in December and concludes in July.
B. The kachinas are believed to return to the San Francisco Mountains where they remain until
they rejoin the Hopi at the winter solstice.
C. Kachina dances are always serious and sometimes frightening.
D. Rain, fertility, and maintaining social order are the underlying goals of all Kachina activity.
Ans: C
Page: 8-9
14. What is meant by “community aesthetics”?
A. The actual nature of the elements that construct the performance itself which have precise
meaning for the community
B. The audience’s reactions to the outcome of a performance
C. The audience’s actual involvement in the performance
D. The spiritual place that theater plays in the life of any community
Ans: A
Page: 10
15. Throughout history, what has been the main element that has made theatre a social force?
A. The power of the actors’ performances
B. The dramatic structure of the scripts
C. The collective and public nature of the theatre itself
D. The spaces where the theatre events transpire
Ans: C
Page: 10
THE IMPULSE TO PERFORM: ORIGINS – Test Questions
MATCHING
1. Match the key term with its definition.
The Kwakwaka’wakw :: Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of the United
States and the Southwest Coast of Canada
Day of the Dead :: A ritual of Hispanic heritage to remember family members who have
died and celebrate their lives
Kachinas :: Spiritual guardians of the Hopi Indians
Dionysus :: Greek god in whose honor festivals were presented
Euripides :: Author of Medea
Corpus Christi :: Late spring festival to celebrate the sacraments of the church associated
with the body of Christ
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. According to Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal, what was the first human invention?
A. Story telling
B. Theatre
C. Dance
D. Survival
Ans: B
Page: 1
3. In the theatre, the playwright and the actor together present stories in the form of ________.
A. Fiction
B. Narrative
C. Action
D. Song
Ans: C
Page: 1
4. What distinguishes theater from movies, television and most other electronic media?
A. The actors are less accomplished
B. Special effects are much simpler
C. The actor-audience relationship
D. Nothing, they are essentially the same
Ans: C
Page: 1
,5. Which of the following is not an element of the Kwakwak’awkw whale performance
described in the book?
A. The use of masks
B. Only men were in attendance
C. Performances were lit by a fire burning in the center of the space
D. The depiction of animals
Ans: B
Page: 2-3
6. According to the book, what particular desire are most human beings born with?
A. The desire to participate as an audience member
B. The desire to participate in ritual
C. The desire to role-play and perform
D. The desire to direct others
Ans: C
Page: 5
7. Which of the following is an example of role-play enacted by children?
A. Playing house
B. Playing school
C. Wearing a superhero cape
D. All of the above
Ans: D
Page: 5
8. The actor, Bill Irwin, often approaches the roles he plays by asking himself which question?
A. What is the major action?
B. Who is my character?
C. What am I afraid of right now?
D. What are the other characters saying about my character right now?
Ans: C
Page: 5
9. Which of the following is not considered a secular ritual in the United States?
A. High School Graduation
B. College Football Game
C. Beauty Pageant
D. Church Service
Ans: D
Page: 6-7
10. What do the Hopi believe that the intervention of the kachina will inspire?
A. Rain to ensure the success of their crops
B. Healing for tribe members who fall ill
C. Success in battle with other tribes
, D. Power over all animals
Ans: A
Page: 8
11. How many different kachinas are there?
A. One
B. Fewer than fifty
C. One Hundred
D. Over three hundred
Ans: D
Page: 8
12. The first and last observations of the kachina cycle coincide with which events?
A. Earthly-life and after-life
B. The winter solstice and the anticipation of the harvest
C. The vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox
D. The first birth in the tribe and the first rainfall of the year
Ans: B
Page: 8-9
13. What is not true regarding kachina dances?
A. The cycle is initiated in December and concludes in July.
B. The kachinas are believed to return to the San Francisco Mountains where they remain until
they rejoin the Hopi at the winter solstice.
C. Kachina dances are always serious and sometimes frightening.
D. Rain, fertility, and maintaining social order are the underlying goals of all Kachina activity.
Ans: C
Page: 8-9
14. What is meant by “community aesthetics”?
A. The actual nature of the elements that construct the performance itself which have precise
meaning for the community
B. The audience’s reactions to the outcome of a performance
C. The audience’s actual involvement in the performance
D. The spiritual place that theater plays in the life of any community
Ans: A
Page: 10
15. Throughout history, what has been the main element that has made theatre a social force?
A. The power of the actors’ performances
B. The dramatic structure of the scripts
C. The collective and public nature of the theatre itself
D. The spaces where the theatre events transpire
Ans: C
Page: 10
