Death of a Salesman

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. In what way does the Loman family distort the American Dream?

A) They believe the Dream is based on hard work.

B) They believe the Dream is based on personality.

C) They believe the Dream is based on wealth.

D) They believe the Dream is based on family happiness.

2. What style choice does Miller use to emphasize Willy’s mental state?

A) Portraying fathers and sons

B) Mixing past and present

C) Presenting few women

D) Introducing physical conflict

3. What is Happy’s chief complaint?

A) Loneliness

B) Poverty

C) Theft

D) Betrayal

4. Why is Biff angry with Willy?

A) Missing football games

B) Pressuring him about college

C) Family betrayal

D) Mistreating Happy

5. In what way does the Loman house mirror the collapse of the American Dream?

A) It needs repair.

B) The bank is foreclosing.

C) It is for sale.

D) Construction crowds it.

6. What works against Willy’s attempt to remember the past as idyllic?

A) Happy’s sinful lifestyle

B) Biff’s return from the West

C) The present results of past failures

D) The inability to get a new job route

7. On whose shoulders does Willy displace his disappointment over his failure to achieve the American Dream?

A) Happy

B) Biff

C) Linda

D) The Woman

8. Why is Willy obsessed with being well-liked?

A) It would justify making little money.

B) He equates it with success.

C) It would gain respect from his children.

D) He fears abandonment by his family.

9. What does Willy’s brother, Ben, illustrate about the American Dream?

A) Rejection of the Dream

B) Acceptance of the Dream

C) Conflict with the Dream

D) Hatred of the Dream

10. What difficult truth do Charley and Barnard demonstrate to Willy?

A) Wealth leads to success.

B) Hard work leads to success.

C) Education leads to success.

D) Adventure leads to success.

11. Why does Willy regret not going to Alaska with Ben?

A) He envies Ben his freedom.

B) He wishes he had never married.

C) He denies who he is for business.

D) He doesn’t like family life.

12. In his fantasies, what does the garden show about Willy’s identity?

A) He is a man who works with his hands.

B) He is a man meant for business success.

C) He resents not playing football.

D) He wishes he had gone to Alaska with Ben.

13. On what is Willy’s sanity dependent?

A) His confession to Linda about the Woman

B) His belief in the success of the family

C) His apology to Biff for pressuring him

D) His acceptance of a loan from Charley

14. Why is Biff so angry at Willy over the Woman?

A) It forces him to keep a secret from Happy.

B) It makes him think less of his mom.

C) It causes his failure to graduate.

D) It shatters his idea of the ideal male.

15. Why does Willy fail to achieve the American Dream?

A) Fatherhood

B) Self-betrayal

C) The mortgage

D) The loss of family

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Throughout the play, what is the significance of the flute music?

2. What meaning does Linda’s final mantra, “We’re free,” take on?