Study Guide

Field 210: Drama/Theatre Arts 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices. Read each question and its answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.

During the test you should try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will NOT be penalized for choosing an incorrect response.

Objective 0001 
Understand the sensory elements of drama/theatre.

1. In a theatrical production, the colors used in the design of the set and lighting for a scene are most likely to influence the audience's perception of the:

  1. details of the storyline during the scene.
  2. importance of the scene in the overall plot.
  3. relationships between characters in the scene.
  4. atmosphere that the scene is meant to convey.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Technical theatre elements, such as set design and lighting, serve many functions in productions. In the broadest sense, they contribute to the unity of the overall production. On the level of scene, set design and lighting contribute to the atmosphere, tone, and mood that the scene is meant to convey.

Objective 0002 
Understand the organizational principles of drama/theatre.

2. To effectively portray a character in a scene in a play, it would be most important for an actor to:

  1. create a signature movement style for the character.
  2. understand the stage directions provided in the script.
  3. analyze the character's purpose in relation to the plot.
  4. develop attributes that will appeal to the audience.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
As human behavior has objectives based on circumstances, understanding a character’s purpose or motivation is crucial to an actor’s portrayal of the character in any given scene.

Objective 0002 
Understand the organizational principles of drama/theatre.

3. A production concept is most accurately defined as:

  1. a fundamental idea for staging a play that influences all aspects of design and production.
  2. an approach to structuring dramatic material in time as linear, episodic, or circular.
  3. a strategy used by a technician to construct the setting or costumes used in production.
  4. a set of criteria and goals a director uses to frame the search for and selection of a script.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
The director’s interpretation of a play leads to a production concept or image of how the production will be, which guides the work of designers and all aspects of the production.

Objective 0003 
Understand the processes of creating and performing drama/theatre.

4. A costume designer considering the silhouettes, fabrics, and colors to use for characters in a scene can most effectively create designs that support thematic elements of the play by:

  1. reading the script to develop a personal understanding of the playwright's reasons for including the scene.
  2. consulting with the director about the perspectives the director intends to communicate in the production.
  3. researching the design choices used in staging the same scene in previous productions of the play.
  4. collaborating with the director and other designers in interpreting and creating the world in which the play is set.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Theatre is a highly collaborative art form. All members of a production work together. Collaborating with the director and other designers allows the costume designer to get feedback, ideas, and direction toward creating costumes that fit in the world of the play.

Objective 0004 
Understand the application of theatrical elements, processes, and tools in the creation of various dramatic forms.

5. Which of the following instructional strategies would most effectively engage students in interpreting and analyzing the motivations of characters in a play they have read?

  1. exchanging roles by memorizing and presenting the lines and actions of multiple characters in the play
  2. drawing storyboards to visually map the key scenes and important changes of scene and action of the play
  3. participating in a process drama to explore events that might have preceded the circumstances of the play
  4. freezing in scenes that illustrate key moments in the action of and interactions between characters in the play
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Process drama is an improvisational, script-less exercise in which students explore a dramatic situation, including character, setting, scene, and context. Participating in a process drama to explore events that have preceded the circumstances of the play will likely give insight into the characters of the play.

Objective 0005 
Understand the application of technical theatre elements, processes, and tools.

6. Which of the following makeup items is typically required when an actor is performing under stage lighting?

  1. rouge
  2. foundation
  3. eyeliner
  4. lipstick
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Bright lights used in many theatre productions can reveal imperfections in actors’ skin. Using foundation helps to conceal blemishes and other skin-related issues. Foundation also establishes an even color and finish to actors’ skin.

Objective 0006 
Understand principles of design and processes of implementation in theatrical production.

7. In a play, a group of six actors forms a traditional Greek chorus. Which of the following makeup choices would most effectively convey a sense of their function in the thematic development of the play?

  1. exaggerating the actors' facial lines
  2. using basic corrective makeup
  3. creating identical masks
  4. applying a clown white base
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
The chorus in ancient Greek theatre generally served to comment on and discuss characters and plot directly with the audience. Choral masks that are identical indicate that the chorus is an autonomous group, separate from the characters in the play.

Objective 0007 
Understand strategies for managing theatrical environments.

8. In the twenty-first century, newly constructed theatres are sometimes designed as black box theatres primarily because:

  1. a lack of ornamentation permits the projection of imagery to establish setting on all of the walls surrounding the audience.
  2. performing without the distraction of a visual setting focuses the audience's attention on dialogue and action.
  3. the bare space provides the greatest flexibility for shaping the playing area and arrangement of audience seating.
  4. entering a nontraditional space influences audience members' perceptions of the type of performance they will experience.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Black box theatres originated in the twentieth century as theatre artists sought more flexibility in staging productions than traditional stages allowed. In the twenty-first century, black box theatres that allow a wide variety of arrangements of seating and playing areas are an accepted convention in the theatre world.

Objective 0007 
Understand strategies for managing theatrical environments.

9. A production manager is primarily responsible for:

  1. designing and managing fund-raising and marketing campaigns.
  2. overseeing budgets, organizing schedules, and managing personnel related to technical elements of the show.
  3. selecting the project and locating and managing the physical space.
  4. managing rehearsals, coordinating changes required by rehearsal notes, and calling cues for performances.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
The production manager is responsible for overseeing budgets (when this task is not done by the producer, if the production has a producer); managing personnel related to technical elements of the show; deciding the order in which things will be done, such as when lights will be hung; and coordinating who will use the performance space at which times to ensure that conflicting demands do not arise.

Objective 0008 
Understand fundamental techniques and procedures of directing theatrical productions.

10. After an actor has performed a scene during an audition for a play, the director asks the actor to make a few changes and perform the scene again. The director most likely is assessing the actor's:

  1. ability to take direction.
  2. versatility as a performer.
  3. understanding of the scripted character.
  4. ability to improvise emotion and actions.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
One consideration for a director when casting a play is the degree to which actors are responsive to feedback. It is important for a director to assess actors’ ability to take direction.

Objective 0008 
Understand fundamental techniques and procedures of directing theatrical productions.

11. Asking a group of actors to perform a cold reading is valuable for the director primarily because it will provide a sense of each actor's:

  1. passion for the craft.
  2. ability to memorize their lines.
  3. approach to working with others.
  4. range of interpretation.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Cold reading is a term that refers to actors reading aloud from a script with little or no preparation. Cold readings are used primarily during the audition process. Because the material is not familiar to the actors, the extent to which they connect with their partners in the cold reading scene is a good gauge of their acting ability.

Objective 0009 
Understand the characteristics of dramatic literature.

12. Plays representative of the genre of modern tragedy are most likely to include which of the following dramatic characteristics?

  1. a plot that resolves in the demise of a powerful person or a deity
  2. action that relies on fate and hubris as agents of human suffering and loss
  3. themes of emotional pain and suffering in the lives of common people
  4. a storyline based on the recognition of universal human concerns
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Modern tragedy differs from classical tragedy in many ways, one of which is that pain and suffering is typically centered on ordinary people rather than royal or noble people.

Objective 0009 
Understand the characteristics of dramatic literature.

13. In the dramatic structure of a play, exposition provides an audience with:

  1. an explanation of the central tensions involved in the problem or obstacles that a character must surmount.
  2. rationales for the resolution of the central dramatic complication and the consequences of its outcome.
  3. a summary of elements of the plot and characterization that contribute to building the climax around which the play pivots.
  4. background information important to the setting and plot occurring before or outside the action of the play.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution are generally considered to make up the framework of dramatic works. Exposition refers to background information. It is typically revealed early in the play and can include back story about a character or characters, information about the setting, and events occurring before or outside the main plot.

Objective 0010 
Understand the history of drama and theatre from world cultures through the nineteenth century.

14. The traditional East Asian performance traditions of Japanese Noh theatre and Chinese Opera are characterized by:

  1. circular performance spaces, rhythmic movement structured by drum beats, and stories based on cultural history and practices.
  2. stylized movement, use of a raised stage, and prescribed dramatic forms and character types.
  3. ritualistic content, no clear separation between audience and performers, and informal performance spaces without devised sets or props.
  4. elaborate pantomime combined with music, stories based on cultural legends, and use of puppetry.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Even though they were founded in different countries centuries apart, the East Asian performance traditions of Japanese Noh and Chinese Opera share several characteristics, such as the use of a raised stage, onstage musicians, and prescribed dramatic forms and character types.

Objective 0011 
Understand the history of drama and theatre from world cultures from the twentieth century to the present.

15. The Theatre of the Oppressed, founded by Brazilian dramatist Augusto Boal, is described as a dramatic form that primarily:

  1. uses site-specific productions to develop awareness of issues inherent in the interrelationship of humans and the environment.
  2. employs shock tactics through profane language, nudity, and uncomfortable subject matter to provoke social analyses.
  3. stages surprise performances in public spaces to draw the attention of unsuspecting audiences to social and political issues.
  4. involves audience members in theatrical techniques and games to explore, analyze, and promote social and political change.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Augusto Boal created the Theatre of the Oppressed to expand the discussion of social issues. Theatre of the Oppressed eliminated the wall between performers and audience by calling on spectators to become “spect-actors” who try out ideas for social change on stage.

Objective 0012 
Understand the relationship of drama/theatre to other disciplines.

16. In selecting and staging a play, understanding concepts important to psychology and sociology is most useful to a director for:

  1. assessing the way an audience might respond to the plot and theme.
  2. analyzing and shaping characters' motivations and behaviors.
  3. casting actors appropriate for the characters they will play.
  4. guiding technical designers' work to fit the desired mood and tone.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Psychology is a branch of science that studies the human mind. Sociology is a branch of science concerned with the way people interact with and live with each other in the world. Understanding concepts from both sciences is useful in understanding what motivates characters in plays.

Objective 0012 
Understand the relationship of drama/theatre to other disciplines.

17. Which of the following theatre production-related tasks most involves the application of basic mathematics skills?

  1. a director blocking actors' movements in relationship to sightlines
  2. a lighting designer selecting gels to produce a particular shade of blue
  3. a stage manager recording technical cues in the prompt book
  4. a set technician planning and building platforms to fit the stage space
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Planning and building platforms requires measurement and mathematical computation for the build and fitting the pieces into the greater design of the set. Arithmetic, algebra, and geometry may be used in set design.

Objective 0013 
Understand instructional knowledge and skills appropriate to the teaching of drama/theatre.

18. For a high school theatre unit that will culminate in staging a play, which of the following activities would be most effective for developing students' understanding of how a set designer begins to plan the settings for a play?

  1. Students analyze the script to determine the mood and sense of place that the plot and theme convey.
  2. Students watch a video of a performance of the play and analyze its visual properties.
  3. Students prepare a descriptive inventory of existing flats and properties available in the school theatre.
  4. Students use colored pencils to draw sketches of rooms and landscapes from memory.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Every person involved in a theatrical production, including designers, must first read the script. Doing so gives designers a strong sense of mood and setting that they can then translate into the production concept.

Objective 0014 
Understand the evaluation of students and their performance using theatrical assessment criteria.

19. Which of the following strategies of assessment would most help ensure that at any given point during a drama/theatre arts unit, class understanding of the unit is uniform and no students are falling behind?

  1. quick, regular "thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs all around" check-ins
  2. daily exit slips with a review of any unlearned concepts the next day
  3. weekly "turn and talk" reviews of the material with a specific partner
  4. open book tests in which students are allowed to work together
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
A formative assessment, such as daily exit slips, can be used to make sure that no one in the class is falling behind. Formative assessments should be done regularly and are a way to check in with student understanding. Any effective formative assessment must be followed up by additional work from the teacher to address the results of the assessment.

Objective 0015 
Understand professional development for the drama/theatre educator.

20. LED lighting instruments have primarily which of the following drawbacks for use in a drama/theatre arts program?

  1. They cost more on the front end than other lighting instruments.
  2. They have a relatively short lifespan.
  3. They are not as bright as incandescent lighting instruments.
  4. They require a lot of maintenance.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
LED lighting instruments are more cost-efficient than traditional lighting fixtures in the long term, depending on how the lights are used, but their purchase price is significantly higher than the purchase price of traditional fixtures.