Death and the Maiden

**Quiz Question: *Death and the Maiden* by Ariel Dorfman** At the start of the play, Paulina Salas captures a man named Roberto Miranda. What does she accuse him of? A) He betrayed her husband to the secret police during the dictatorship. B) He was one of the doctors who tortured and sexually assaulted her while she was a political prisoner under the former regime. C) He stole classified documents that could prove the innocence of political prisoners. D) He was the judge who sentenced her to prison without a fair trial. **Correct Answer: B** *Explanation: Paulina believes Roberto Miranda is the doctor who took part in her torture and sexual assault during her time as a political prisoner under the previous authoritarian regime. She identifies him by his voice and his tendency to play Schubert's "Death and the Maiden," the same music that played while she was held captive.*

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**Quiz Question: *Death and the Maiden* by Ariel Dorfman** At the beginning of the play, what does Paulina Salas do when she hears the voice of the stranger, Dr. Roberto Miranda, whom her husband Gerardo has brought home? A) She immediately calls the police to report him B) She warmly welcomes him and offers him dinner C) She ties him to a chair and holds him captive at gunpoint D) She flees the house in fear **Correct Answer: C** *Explanation:* Paulina recognizes Dr. Miranda's voice as the man she believes tortured and raped her during the dictatorship. While Gerardo is asleep, she manages to overpower Miranda, ties him to a chair, and holds him at gunpoint — which establishes the main moral and dramatic conflict of the play.

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**Quiz Question: *Death and the Maiden* by Ariel Dorfman** At the start of the play, what particularly disturbs Paulina Salas when her husband Gerardo introduces a stranger named Roberto Miranda? A) She recognizes him as a former neighbor who betrayed her family. B) She believes his voice and mannerisms reveal him as the doctor who tortured and raped her during the dictatorship. C) She finds out he is a government spy sent to undermine Gerardo's work on the human rights commission. D) She discovers a weapon in his coat and fears he has come to kill Gerardo. **Correct Answer: B** *Explanation:* Paulina recognizes Roberto Miranda's voice—especially since her captors kept her blindfolded—as the man who played Schubert's *Death and the Maiden* and whom she believes tortured and sexually assaulted her while she was imprisoned for her political beliefs under the previous dictatorship. This recognition triggers the main conflict of the play.

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