Preparation Manual: Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions

Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions
Theatre EC–12 (180)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Domain I—Creating, Performing and Producing Theatre

Competency 001—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of the basic principles, forms and methods of process-centered drama.

1. Which of the following skills do mirror games most develop in acting students?

Imitation
Leadership
Characterization
Spontaneity

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because partners in mirror games must mimic a series of unscripted movements in real time, thus fostering spontaneity and attentiveness. Option A is incorrect because actors playing mirror games attempt to respond to each other simultaneously, not to imitate each other. Option B is incorrect because the objective of a mirror game is for the players to collaborate, not for one player to attain a leadership position. Option C is incorrect because the movements and gestures employed in mirror games are not specific or developed enough to foster characterization.

2. In the standard play format used in the United States, names of characters who are speaking are distinguished from dialogue through the use of

all caps.
boldface.
italics.
parentheses.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because in standard play format in the United States, character names appear above corresponding dialogue in all caps. Options B, C and D are incorrect because none of them are used to distinguish character names from dialogue in standard format.

3. Which of the following best describes an improvisation activity that is useful for developing actors’ focus as an ensemble?

Reacting to different sounds in an outdoor environment
Building a two-level moving human sculpture
Dividing into groups to rehearse two-character scenes
Observing the everyday activities of other actors

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because it is the only activity that requires the members of the ensemble to concentrate on their collective effort. Options A, C and D are incorrect because none of the activities described require a coordinated collective effort.

Competency 002—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of acting methods and techniques.

4. Which of the following questions is most directly related to the work of an actor using sense memory when rehearsing a play?

Who are some of the most important actors who have performed in past productions of the play?
What significant experiences from the actor’s life are relevant to the play?
What prevents the characters in the play from achieving their objectives?
What information does the play provide about the character’s experiences before the play begins?

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because sense memory consists of an actor using personal experience to enrich his or her portrayal of a character. Option A is incorrect because this question would be more appropriate for a theatre historian. Option C is incorrect because this question relates to an actor’s identification of obstacles. Option D is incorrect because this question relates to a character’s backstory.

5. A director can help an actor strengthen character development by helping the actor to understand what a character wants above all else, which is most often referred to as the

superobjective.
obstacle.
stakes.
given circumstances.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because the superobjective is a term created by Konstantin Stanislavski to refer to a character’s overall desire. Option B is incorrect because although understanding a character’s obstacles is important, obstacles are those things that stand in the way of a character’s overall desire. Option C is incorrect because although understanding the stakes of a scene will help with character development, the stakes are linked to perceived outcome and not to a character’s desires. Option D is incorrect because although given circumstances describe an important concept in character development, the term refers to everything about a character that is provided by the playwright and is not subject to interpretation rather than the overall desire of the character, which is subject to an actor’s and a director’s interpretation.

6. To reflect the style most like that of the original players of a Molière comedy, contemporary actors should model their physical and vocal technique after the methods of

Konstantin Stanislavski.
the commedia dell’arte.
Stella Adler.
the Théâtre-Libre.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because Molière shared a theatre with a commedia dell’arte troupe, and theatre historians and critics frequently discuss the influence of commedia dell’arte conventions on Molière’s plays and productions. Options A, C and D are incorrect because they all relate to the styles of either modern realism or naturalism.

Competency 003—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of the principles and techniques of directing theatrical productions.

7. To unify a production, a director must develop a concept or approach to the production. The director can begin to develop this concept or approach by building an understanding of the struggle between the major contending forces in the play. The struggle is known as the

polar attitudes.
central conflict.
primary obstacle.
given circumstances.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because central conflict is the term used to describe the major struggle in the play; the director must understand the conflict in order to develop an adequate concept for the production. Option A is incorrect because polar attitudes refer to the changes in characters’ beliefs over the course of the play, not to the major struggle of the play. Option C is incorrect because the primary obstacle is what stands in the way of the fulfillment of a character’s desires, not the major struggle of the play. Option D is incorrect because given circumstances are the facts about the world of the play; the term does not refer to the major struggle of the play.

8. In relation to the work of a set designer, which of the following is an important responsibility of the director?

Budgeting for the materials and the building crew
Scheduling time for construction during load-in
Communicating ideas about the visual world of the production
Ensuring that low-hanging objects do not obstruct stage lighting

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because the director is responsible for communicating a cohesive vision for a production to all designers associated with the production, including the set designer. Options A, B and D are incorrect because each describes a responsibility of a particular theatre professional who is not the director.

9. Which of the following does a director do to determine the spine of a play?

Creates a detailed list of props and set pieces
Plans for which actors will be needed at what times during rehearsals
Anticipates technical challenges that are likely to be encountered
Determines the central message as it relates to the characters and story

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because the spine, the play’s main action or central message, is determined by analyzing the play’s characters and story. Options A, B and C are incorrect because they involve logistical and planning concerns rather than an analysis of the ideas of a play.

Competency 004—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of the principles of producing theatrical performances.

10. Before the first technical rehearsal, often the director will meet with the stage manager and designers to map out transitions and cue placement as well as plan the upcoming technical rehearsals. This work is usually referred to as a

read-through.
preview.
dry tech.
paper tech.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because the meeting between stage manager, director, and designers intended to map out and notate the transitions and cues is known as a paper tech. Option A is incorrect because a read-through rehearsal is a rehearsal in which actors read the play aloud. Option B is incorrect because a preview is a dress rehearsal performed for an invited audience. Option C is incorrect because a dry tech is a technical rehearsal without actors in which the director and designers examine the design elements.

11. Which of the following will a director most likely be able to present on stage without obtaining copyright permission?

A Greek tragedy translated by a contemporary poet
An unfilmed, published screenplay from the 1970s
A nineteenth-century melodrama adapted from Shakespeare
An original dramatic story featuring characters from a television show

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because according to United States copyright law, any work published prior to January 1, 1923, is in the public domain and does not require permission. Option A is incorrect because translators own the copyright to their translations of works in the public domain. Option B is incorrect because the work described was published in the 1970s. Option D is incorrect because characters from popular television shows are protected by copyright law, regardless of whether the story in which they appear is original.

12. A high school drama teacher wants to stage a play that promotes tolerance and acceptance of diversity regarding gender roles and sexual orientation within a community. Which of the following plays is most appropriate for the teacher to choose?

A Raisin in the Sun
Our Town
“Master Harold”… and the Boys
The Laramie Project

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because The Laramie Project promotes acceptance of people regardless of their sexual orientation and their conformity to gender norms. Options A, B and C are incorrect because none of these works focuses on issues involving sexual orientation.

Domain II—Design and Technical Theatre

Competency 005—The teacher understands how to develop an overall technical and design environment for theatrical productions.

13. Which of the following types of theatre space is best suited to an environmental staging of a production?

Proscenium
Black box
Thrust
Arena

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because environmental staging can best be achieved in a black box theatre, since the architectural flexibility of such a theatre best allows for the comingling of actors and audience in the same space. Options A, C and D are incorrect because each features a specific, permanent placement of staging and seating areas in which actors and audience have their own proscribed spaces.

Read the excerpt below from Eugene O’Neill’s note “General Scene of the Trilogy” from Mourning Becomes Electra; then answer the question that follows.

“The action of the trilogy . . . takes place in or immediately outside the Mannon residence, on the outskirts of one of the smaller New-England seaport towns. . . .

“The house is placed back on a slight rise of ground about three hundred feet from the street. It is a large building of the Greek temple type. . . . A white wooden portico with six tall columns contrasts with the wall of the house proper which is of gray cut stone. There are five windows on the upper floor and four on the ground floor, with the main entrance in the middle, a doorway with squared transom and sidelights flanked by intermediate columns. The window shutters are painted a dark green. Before the doorway a flight of four steps leads from the ground to the portico.

“The three plays take place in either spring or summer of the years 1865 to 1866.”

14. Based on the text above, which of the following set designs best fits O’Neill’s vision for his trilogy?

A minimalist set with a one-dimensional outline of a house
An abstract representation of a mansion and its grounds
A realistic representation of a nineteenth-century northeastern mansion
A naturalistic representation of an eighteenth-century southern mansion

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because the level of detail in O’Neill’s description of the setting indicates a desire for realism. In addition, the time period of the play (“1865 to 1866”) is the nineteenth century, and O’Neill indicates that the setting is in the northeastern part of the United States (“on the outskirts of one of the smaller New-England seaport towns”). Option A is incorrect because O’Neill’s detailed description of the setting is the opposite of minimalism. Option B is incorrect because an abstract representation of the setting would not match the level of detail set forth in the description. Option D is incorrect because although a naturalistic setting might be implied by the detail of O'Neill’s description, the time period and locale are not what the playwright has specified.

Competency 006—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of principles and techniques of theatrical lighting and sound production.

15. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of a lighting designer’s cue sheet?

Mapping the physical placement of each lighting instrument in the grid and the use of each lighting instrument in the production
Documenting each instance when lights in a production change or move, and keying these occurrences to the script
Detailing the types of lighting instruments being used, including their wattage, size, and wiring requirements
Keeping track of any gels or gobo effects that will be used with a particular lighting instrument

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because a cue sheet records each movement or change in the lights, linking it to a specific point in the script. Options A, C and D are incorrect because each describes one of the purposes of a lighting plot.

16. Which of the following is most often an unmotivated or nonconsidered source of light?

A table lamp
A beam of sunlight through a window
A follow spot
A hanging chandelier above a staircase

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because a follow spot is presentational and most often does not represent realistic, source-considered (motivated) light. Options A and D are incorrect because the light from an onstage (often practical) table lamp or chandelier is, or represents, the light that would emanate from them in real life. Option B is incorrect because light representing a beam of sunshine is source-considered (motivated) even if it is only a representation of such light; the audience reads the light as sunlight.

Competency 007—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of principles and techniques for designing and creating theatrical sets and properties.

17. In stage design, which of the following best describes the most common use of a scrim?

Allowing actors and scenery to suddenly appear and disappear
Representing a skyscape or showing projections
Masking backstage areas and lighting instruments
Moving scenic elements onstage

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because a scrim is loosely woven fabric that is opaque when lit from the front (hiding what is behind it) and transparent when lit from behind (revealing what is behind it). Option B is incorrect because these effects are achieved most often by a cyclorama. Option C is incorrect because masking is achieved by the use of draperies or flats. Option D is incorrect because the moving of scenic elements is achieved by stage machinery or stagehands.

18. The primary feature of the set for Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is a pool of water. This pool is central to all of the stories told in the play—at times it is a bath, a swimming pool, or even the sea—and is the element around which the rest of the play’s setting is designed. Which of the following scenic design terms best describes the pool?

Platform
Cyclorama
Prop
Set piece

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because a set piece serves as a focal point for the set design and, frequently, for the action of the play. The pool in Metamorphoses is central to the action of the play and also dictates the overall design of the set. Option A is incorrect because it refers to a component used to construct an elevated portion of a set. Option B is incorrect because it refers to a scenic backcloth that can be used in conjunction with lighting to create effects. Option C is incorrect because it refers to a small object utilized by an actor or to decorate a set.

Competency 008—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of principles and techniques for designing and creating theatrical costumes and makeup.

19. Which of the following is most typically part of a costume worn by an actor portraying a female character in a Victorian melodrama?

Corset
Pomander
Wimple
Ruff

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because a corset, which historically provided for the hourglass silhouette of many women’s fashions, was typical in the Victorian era. Option B is incorrect because a pomander was a small metal box for holding fragrances that was used during the Elizabethan era. Option C is incorrect because a wimple was a head and neck covering from the medieval time period. Option D is incorrect because a ruff was an Elizabethan accessory worn around the neck.

20. When actors use makeup to ensure that their faces read clearly, which of the following goals are they trying to achieve?

To make their appearances resemble those of their characters
To evoke their characters’ psychological traits through physical appearance
To emphasize their features so they can be seen from the house
To prevent looking washed-out under the stage lights

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because when actors use makeup to ensure that their faces read clearly, they are emphasizing basic facial features to help convey the fullest range of facial expressions over a considerable distance. Options A, B and D are incorrect because they do not pertain to the specific goal of creating a face that that allows expressions to be more easily read by the audience.

21. An actor is playing a role grounded in a particular time period. In addition to period-specific clothing, which of the following costuming elements is most important to consider when attempting to accurately represent the dominant style of the specified time period?

Hair or a wig that can be easily dressed
Colors that complement the actor’s skin tone
Accessories that do not draw too much attention
Fabrics that allow for ease of movement

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because hairstyles are important considerations for accurately depicting the style of a specific time period; if the actor’s hair cannot be styled in a manner appropriate to the period, a wig may be necessary. Options B, C and D are incorrect because none of them is a consideration regarding the accurate representation of a specified time period in costuming.

Competency 009—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of backstage procedures and the roles of backstage personnel.

22. Which of the following best describes the process of calling a show?

Alerting actors and crew to the beginning of the performance
Disseminating changes to the rehearsal schedule
Making announcements to the audience
Initiating lighting, sound, and scene-shift cues

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because calling a show is the process by which a stage manager signals changes in lighting, sound, and scenes during a performance. Options A, B and C are incorrect because they are not components of calling a show.

23. Who is responsible for moving the scenery during a performance?

Production manager
Stage manager
Technical director
Stage crew

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because the stage crew is responsible for moving the scenery during a performance. Option A is incorrect because the production manager is responsible for staffing and budgeting the production. Option B is incorrect because the stage manager is responsible for coordinating the director’s work with that of the technical and design departments as well as that of the actors. Option C is incorrect because although the technical director oversees and manages the stage crew, the technical director does not typically carry out the actual moving of scenery and equipment.

Domain III—Theatre History and Culture

Competency 010—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of the history of theatre in cultures throughout the world.

24. Which of the following genres was practiced in the theatre of ancient Rome?

New Comedy
Neoclassical tragedy
Masques
Mystery plays

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because New Comedy refers to the domestic comedies that were written and performed in ancient Greece and Rome. Options B, C and D are incorrect because none of these genres were practiced in ancient Rome.

Read the excerpt below from Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, in which Hamlet gives advice to a group of actors; then answer the question that follows.

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town-crier had spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, the whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise.

25. Which of the following descriptions of actors in Shakespeare’s time is best supported by the passage?

Actors generally invented their own dialogue based on an outline provided by the playwright.
Actors performed pantomime more often than they spoke actual language.
Actors tended to yell and gesticulate heavily when playing intense scenes.
Actors were easily upset by unruly audiences and, in such cases, often refused to perform well.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because in the speech, Hamlet’s cautioning the actors not to “saw the air too much with [their] hand[s]” or “split the ears of the groundlings” (the audience standing in the pit directly in front of the stage) implies that actors in Shakespeare’s time tended to yell and gesticulate heavily when “in the very torrent” of playing an intense scene. Options A, B and D are incorrect because they are based on misunderstandings of Hamlet’s speech; there is no textual support in the speech for any of these claims about actors in Shakespeare’s time.

Competency 011—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of the role of theatre in society.

26. The writings of Charles Darwin most directly influenced which of the following movements in theatre?

Surrealism
Naturalism
Epic theatre
Theatre of cruelty

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option B is correct because the late-nineteenth-century movement known as Naturalism depicted characters and their behavior as products of heredity, environment, and determinism—in direct response to the influence of Darwin’s evolutionary conceptions of human behavior. Options A, C and D are incorrect because these later movements did not specifically focus on subjects and themes grounded in Darwinian ideas.

27. Which of the following best describes the work of playwright Maria Irene Fornés?

It frequently deals with issues of gender in the United States.
It is known for criticizing British society using a variety of theatrical styles.
It combines choreography and poetry into a unique genre called choreopoem.
It brought African American theatre to mainstream Broadway audiences.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because Maria Irene Fornés is a Cuban American writer whose best-known plays, such as Fefu and her Friends (1977) and Mud (1983), deal with issues of gender; her plays also frequently take place in the United States. Options B, C and D are incorrect because none of them accurately describe the work of Maria Irene Fornés.

Domain IV—Responding to and Analyzing Theatre

Competency 012—The teacher knows how to use appropriate procedures, criteria and vocabulary in the evaluation, analysis and criticism of theatre and dramatic media.

28. Which of the following statements should a teacher most discourage a student from including in a review of a high school production of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex?

“The actor playing the role of Oedipus did not seem to have a clear grasp of his character’s primary motivation.”
“The decision to set the play in modern times was largely unsuccessful because the idea of the curse on the city was not believable.”
“The costumes were evocative, but they often were difficult to see under the harsh lighting that overwhelmed the small performance space.”
“Some people are claiming that the actor playing the role of Oedipus should not have been cast in this production because he is failing his biology class.”

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because it reports personal information about an actor that has no bearing on his performance in the production. Options A, B and C are incorrect because they focus on the actual production.

29. A high school drama teacher is starting a unit on August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson. The teacher asks students to research the first staging of the play. Which of the following is the best resource for the students to use?

The entry about August Wilson in a wiki-based encyclopedia
An analysis of the major themes of Wilson’s works in a peer-reviewed journal
Descriptions of the production found in blogs or on discussion boards
Descriptions of the production found in newspaper reviews

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because newspaper reviews of the first run of The Piano Lesson will provide reliable first-hand descriptions of the production. Option A is incorrect because online encyclopedias, particularly those that are wiki-based, are not always reliable. In addition, simply reading an encyclopedia entry on August Wilson may not provide any substantive information about the first production of the play. Option B is incorrect because although a peer-reviewed journal is a more trustworthy source than a wiki-based encyclopedia, an analysis of the major themes of Wilson’s works may have little or nothing to do with the first production of The Piano Lesson. Option C is incorrect because blogs and discussion boards are not always trustworthy sources, and they may not contain first-hand accounts of the production.

Competency 013—The teacher understands the relationship of theatre to other art forms and other disciplines.

30. The primary basis for script analysis lies in which of the following fields?

Literature
Psychology
Art history
Anthropology

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because when conducting a script analysis to determine the essential themes and meanings of a play, a theatre professional relies most directly on a knowledge of literary or textual studies. Options B, C and D are incorrect because they do not form the basis of analyzing the meaning of a text.

Domain V—Theatre Education

Competency 014—The teacher knows how to plan, implement and evaluate theatre instruction.

31. A first-grade teacher wants to use process-centered drama techniques to encourage the development of students’ reading skills. Which of the following activities is most appropriate for this goal?

Having the students memorize lines from a story and recite them for the class
Having the students draw pictures of characters from their favorite stories
Having the students act out scenes from stories that they are reading
Having the students write a short description of a scene from a story they are reading

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because having students act out scenes from stories they are reading combines the activity of reading with an improvisational dramatic exercise to bolster reading comprehension; students must understand what they are reading to determine how their scenes should be acted. Option A is incorrect because the activity focuses solely on rote memorization. Options B and D are incorrect because these activities do not involve process-centered drama techniques, and it is unlikely from a developmental perspective that the students would be able to write a description of the scene.

Use the statement below to answer the three questions that follow.

A high school theatre teacher is preparing a unit on performance art in contemporary theatre. The goal is to have the class learn about performance art, review some examples of artists who have successfully used the techniques of performance art, and then create individual performance pieces to present to the school. Most of the students in the class are unfamiliar with performance art, so the teacher wants to introduce them to the following basic concepts of performance art.

The difference between performance art and traditional theatre

The presence or absence of the performer’s body

Interactions between performer and audience

Use of different media within a work of performance

After making sure the students understand these basic concepts, the teacher will then introduce the work of particular artists, showing how these ideas could be joined together to create a specific performance.

32. Which of the following pedagogical techniques is the teacher using to structure this unit?

Scaffolding
Spaced repetition
Pedagogy of the oppressed
Direct instruction

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because scaffolding is the process of providing support to learners when they are first introduced to a new concept or skill. Option B is incorrect because spaced repetition is a learning technique that utilizes increasing intervals of time between reviews of previously learned material. Option C is incorrect because pedagogy of the oppressed refers to a particular education theory wherein students are viewed as co-creators of their learning. Option D is incorrect because direct instruction refers only to a method of delivering information to students rather than to a technique for ensuring understanding of the material.

33. The teacher has the students read Anna Deavere Smith’s performance piece Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities as an example of performance art. Which of the following is the most comprehensive way to use technology to encourage student engagement with the assignment?

Having students answer questions posted on the class Web page after reading the piece
Asking students to find images on the Web that reflect the themes of the piece and then use those images to create a slide show presentation
Posting video clips of Smith’s performance on the class Web page and having students use the class discussion board to talk about her interpretation of the script
Watching a video of the performance in class and having students write reviews of Smith’s character development

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because this task uses technology to allow students to experience Smith’s performance and to interact with one another, discussing what they have seen. Options A and B are incorrect because each task offers technological methods of responding to Smith’s piece but not of experiencing her performance. Option D is incorrect because this task offers a technological method of viewing Smith’s performance but does not have students use technology when responding to the performance.

34. At the end of the unit, the teacher asks each student to create an individual performance piece. Which of the following assignments allows students from diverse backgrounds to engage most effectively with this task?

Giving each student the transcript of an interview with a famous person and having students create a performance piece based on that interview
Assigning each student a faculty member to interview and then having the students use the interview as the basis of the performance piece
Asking each student to interview family members and then use the interviews as the basis of the performance piece
Giving each student a series of articles about a recent event and having the students use those articles as the basis of the performance piece

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because having students interview family members enables them to draw on material from their individual backgrounds and cultures. The students are thereby more fully engaged in the assignment and the class can experience a variety of perspectives. Options A, B and D are incorrect because students may not relate to these tasks as readily as they would to something from their own backgrounds. Furthermore, since the tasks present subjects determined by the teacher, they will likely not result in the same level of diversity as subjects the students are allowed to choose.

Competency 015—The teacher understands developmentally appropriate skills, concepts and instructional strategies to promote students’ development of theatre concepts, knowledge and skills; enhance critical and creative thinking in theatre contexts; and foster appreciation of the arts.

35. A middle school theatre teacher is presenting a lesson to students about the director’s responsibilities in a theatrical production. Which of the following is the most developmentally appropriate activity related to this topic for middle school students?

Writing an essay on the historical development of the director’s role
Watching videos of two different productions of the same play and analyzing the directorial choices made in each
Interviewing a director working in a local theatre and writing a report on his or her process
Reading a short scene and explaining to the class how the scene would look if they were directing it

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because this activity allows young students to experience the role of the director, enabling them to get a sense of the basic responsibilities of the director in a production. Options A, B and C are incorrect because these activities require a more complex understanding of the role of the director, or more advanced academic skills, than middle school students are likely to possess; these assignments are more suited for high school theatre students.

36. Which of the following teacher strategies best helps beginning theatre students understand an audience’s experience of live theater, including an audience’s behavior during a live performance?

Conduct a group discussion about what an audience member does from the moment the ticket is purchased until the show has ended.
Post a list of audience etiquette tips in a highly visible place in the classroom.
Make a habit of having students applaud each other after scene work or presentations in class.
Conduct class in a theatre space whenever possible so that students become comfortable with the location.

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option A is correct because this discussion allows students to share aspects of audience experience and behavior that they may already be familiar with and to discover, most likely through teacher intervention, aspects with which they are unfamiliar. Option B is incorrect because the physical presence of information about theatre etiquette in the classroom will not necessarily foster active student thought about audience behavior. Option C is incorrect because while this strategy would habituate students to applauding the work of actors, it does not necessarily encourage students to think about all aspects of audience behavior. Option D is incorrect because this strategy, although it introduces students to the space an audience inhabits, does not in and of itself encourage students to think about audience behavior.

37. A theatre teacher wants to incorporate critical thinking into class study of the play The Miracle Worker, which dramatizes the story of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. Which of the following student activities best achieves this goal?

Creating an additional scene that explores Helen Keller’s life after the events of the play
Translating a scene from the play into American Sign Language and performing it for the class
Discussing how Annie Sullivan’s work might have been impacted by modern treatments and medications
Writing a biographical sketch of Helen Keller that includes details about her achievements and triumphs

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because to perform this activity students must gather information and then synthesize and evaluate it to come to an informed understanding. Option A is incorrect because while this activity would exercise student imagination and creative writing abilities, it does not necessarily engage students in critical thinking since it does not ask for analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information. Option B is incorrect because this activity does not require evaluating the information that is found. Option D is incorrect because this activity asks students to gather information but does not require evaluation of the information.

Competency 016—The teacher understands the role of theatre and theatre education in everyday life.

38. A high school theatre teacher is working with students on the set design and construction process. The teacher has each student select a play and then come up with a potential set design that could be adapted to different types of stages (for example, proscenium, thrust, arena). This assignment most directly addresses students’ development in which of the following areas?

Experiential exploration of a specific content area
Understanding of interpersonal relationships
Creative problem-solving
Verbal communication skills

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option C is correct because the assignment requires students to consider the impact of varied types of stages on their designs and to solve any issues related to each stage type in order to create an effective design. Option A is incorrect because the students are not actually building the set; therefore, they are not exploring the content area experientially. Option B is incorrect because the assignment does not require student collaboration or offer any other means of analyzing interpersonal relationships. Option D is incorrect because the assignment does not require students to communicate verbally.

39. A middle school theatre class is planning to attend a professional stage production. Which of the following activities can best help students develop awareness of theatre as a possible vocation?

Creating a series of interview questions that students can ask one of the actors about how he or she got a part in the production
Using Actors’ Equity contract guidelines to analyze the compensation for union members in relation to cost-of-living statistics in the region
Writing an appropriate résumé and cover letter as if applying for an entry-level job at the visited theatre company
Listing all of the professionals involved in the production before selecting several to research in more depth

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because an investigation of all the jobs needed to produce a theatrical work will illustrate to students the variety of possible vocations in the field. Option A is incorrect because this option focuses on acting only, thus limiting students’ understanding of the breadth of vocational possibilities in theatre. Option B is incorrect because this option only allows investigation of cost-of-living issues related to careers in acting and stage management, which are the two professional groups covered by the Actors’ Equity Association. Option C is incorrect because while creating these documents introduces key business and professional skills used by theatre artists when communicating, it does not necessarily improve students’ understanding of the field.

40. Which of the following can theatre instructors most often earn for attending conferences presented by organizations such as the Educational Theatre Association (ETA), Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA), and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE)?

Actors’ Equity membership points
Additional salary and benefits
Certification in technical elements
Continuing education credits

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded: Option D is correct because an attendee at a theatre education conference can earn continuing education credits. Option A is incorrect because one cannot gain Actors’ Equity membership points by attending a theatre education conference. Option B is incorrect because one does not normally earn additional salary and benefits by attending a theatre education conference. Option C is incorrect because one does not normally earn certification in technical elements by attending a theatre education conference.

Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions Theatre EC–12 (180)