DEATH OF A SALESMAN, ARTHUR MILLER

Past Questions

In this section you will be tested on your ability to:

• communicate clearly the knowledge, understanding and insight appropriate to literary study, using appropriate terminology and accurate and coherent written expression;
• respond with knowledge and understanding to literary texts of different types and periods;
• show understanding of the contexts in which literary texts are written and understood.

January 2001

Either a) How does Miller use father / son relationships to question the values of 1940s American society?

Or b) How do the play's settings contribute to its dramatic effect? You might like to consider:

• the home
• the garden
• Howard's office
• other locations

June 2001

Either a) How does the interweaving of past and present help the audience to understand Willy Loman?

Or b) Explore the ways in which stage directions and theatrical devices are used by Miller to create dramatic effect. You might like to consider:

• the stage directions for the opening Act
• the use of music
• the woman's voice
• anything else that interests you.

January 2002

Either a) To what extent can the fate of Willy Loman be linked to the social values which surround him?

Or b) Discuss the importance of REQUIEM to the rest of the play, assessing the reactions to Willy's death of Biff, Happy, Charley and Linda respectively.

June 2002

Either a) How are relationships between men and women in the play affected by the values of the society in which they live?

Or b) How does Miller employ theatrical devices to give point to the play's action? You might consider, for example:

• lighting
• music and sound effects
• stage-set and scenery.

January 2003

Either a) To what extent can Willy Loman be regarded as a tragic figure?

Or b) How important is the notion of salesmanship in what Miller has to say about American society?

June 2003

Either a) Write about the ways in which the following characters help us to understand Willy Loman:

• Ben
• Charley
• Howard Wagner.

Or b) How are significant aspects of post-war American society reflected in the play?

January 2004

Either a) CHARLEY (of Willy Loman): Nobody dast blame this man

How far is it possible to agree with Charley?

 

Or b) "I wrote Salesman at the beginning of the greatest boom in world history ... but there was still the fear of the Depression." (Miller)

How are these matters reflected in Death of a Salesman? You might like to consider:

• how Willy makes his living;
• the values he and his family have lived by;
• how the play reflects the social changes that have taken place during Willy's life;
• anything else appropriate.

June 2004

Either a) BIFF (of his father): He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong.

Discuss Biff's assessment of Willy Loman's 'dreams' in the context of the play as a whole.

Or b) Miller said of Death of a Salesman that it was 'a story about violence within the family.'

Write about the different kinds of violence in the play.

January 2005

Either a) Death of a Salesman has been described as ‘a play critical of post-war American materialism’. How is such criticism expressed through the play’s characters and action? You might consider, for example:

• the importance of money and consumer goods;
• Willy's ambitions and values.
  

Or b) How significant is the relationship between Willy and Linda in Miller’s depiction of post-war American family life in Death of a Salesman?

June 2005

Either a) How does Miller use the relationship between Willy and his sons to examine post-war American life?

Or b) "LINDA: He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person."

Explore the extent to which Miller's presentation of Willy Loman allows the audience to share Linda's view of him

January 2006

Either a)

Or b)

June 2006

Either a) "An air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality," writes Miller of the play's setting.

How significant is the notion of 'dreams' in Death of a Salesman?

Or b) CHARLEY: The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.

To what extent does Death of a Salesman support Charley's view of the world?

You might consider:

- the importance of buying and selling in the play's society

- the values Willy and his family have lived by.

January 2007

Either a) (Ben to Biff) Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way.

How significant is Ben's advice in the context of Miller's presentation of life and work in post-war America

You might consider, for example:

- Ben's influences on the Lomans

- Biff's and Happy's achievements

- Charley and Howard as businessmen

Or b) How does Miller use the differences between Biff and Happy to explore the values of post-war American society in Death of a Salesman?

June 2007

Either a)

Or b)

January 2008

Either a) WILLY: More and more I think of those days, Linda. This time of year it was lilac and wisteria ...What a fragrance in this room!

How does Death of a Salesman explore the changes that have taken place in American society during the course of Willy's working life?

Or b) BIFF: To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two week vacation ... and always to have to get ahead of the next fella.

How far is Biff's view of the world confirmed in Death of a Salesman?