87 pages • 2 hours read
August WilsonThe Piano Lesson
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1987A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Exam Answer Key
Multiple Choice
1. D (Act I, Scene 1)
2. B (Act I, Scene 1)
3. A (Act I, Scene 2)
4. C (Act I, Scene 2)
5. C (Act II, Scene 1)
6. A (Act II, Scene 2)
7. D (Act II, Scene 3)
8. A (Act II, Scene 4)
9. B (Act II, Scene 5)
10. D (Act II, Scene 5)
Long Answer
1. Berniece believes that if Maretha doesn’t know about the piano’s history, she can play it without waking the spirits and feeling the pain of what it cost the family. She imagines Maretha becoming a piano teacher and having a better life without the drag of the piano’s sad, violent past. (Act I, Scene 1)
2. Berniece is playing it again, and she needs it to keep out evil spirits like Sutter’s ghost and communicate with their ancestors. Witnessing the power of their ancestors when Berniece plays the piano convinces Boy Willie that it is more important to keep it in the family than to use it to buy land. (Act II, Scene 5)
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By August Wilson
