Drama first arrived in America in the early eighteenth century. Initially influenced by English drama, American drama started to develop a unique identity over time. In this activity, you will answer questions about The Still Alarm by George S. Kaufman. Part A
How would the play The Still Alarm have been different if it was not a parody and the characters reacted normally to the fire in the hotel?

ANSWER:
Under normal circumstances, in the event of a fire at a hotel, the hotel guests and employees would panic and head to an exit as quickly as possible to save themselves. The characters would not idle away time in needless, calm conversation, but rather they would call the fire department for help immediately. As the characters realized the flames were reaching their floor, they would have become more frantic and concerned about finding an escape route. The firemen would also have been more proactive and would not have brought along a fiddle to play. If the characters reacted more realistically, the play would not have the same humorous effect.

Consider the text and its central idea. informational text: one privilege that many teens look forward to is the ability to earn a driver’s license. driver’s licensing requirements are not the same in every state. in some states, young people can be fully licensed before their sixteenth birthday. in other states, the privilege to drive has some restrictions until the driver is eighteen years old. in every state, driver education is a required step in earning a license. students might earn a permit, or provisional license, and spend six months to a year driving with an adult in the car. since states are very different based on population, development, and roadways, the laws are different, too. central idea: states makes different laws about licensing drivers with some similar requirements. what supporting detail is most important to include in a summary of this text? teens get excited about learning to drive. in some states, kids can get their license on their birthday. some states are heavily populated, with dangerous roads to navigate. every state includes driver education as part of licensing requirements.