1. Act 2 Pages 82-91

2. Before reading: Staging What is the potential of having Hector, Mrs Lintott and Irwin on stage together, ‘pretending to be the examining board’?

3. After reading pages 80-87: Akthar’s interview: Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (born 23 July 1933) is an Italian-British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Sir Christopher Michael Wren (20 October 1632 – 25 February 1723) is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710. What do Akthar and Mrs Lintotts’ choices of ‘favourite architect’ suggest about them?

4. Crowther’s interview: Why might Crowther be fond of acting? What do you think of Irwin’s advice to ‘pedal it’? How does Bennett use the idea of acting to cause conflict between the three teachers?

5. Posner’s interview: Why is Posner the only one who argues back to Irwin? What do you make of Posner’s choice of Mozart?

6. A Woman on the Panel? Annotate Mrs Lintott’s speech in which she suggests that ‘one of the dons who interviews you may be a woman’ (this speech and the part after Dakin says ‘Sorry, miss’). What does it suggest about Dorothy’s feelings at this point? Might it be significant that ‘a woman’ might be on a panel for an Oxbridge interview (an interview panel would typically be 2/3 people). How is the theme of women/femininity developed in the conversation about Wittgenstein? What is Mrs Lintott’s explanation for why there are no female historians on TV?

7. ‘History’s not such a frolic for women as it is for men’ To what extent do you think that this is one of the central ideas/ messages in the play? Try to refer to critics and context in your answer. Discuss and make notes on this in pairs. If this were an essay, how would you approach it?

8. Rudge’s interview: What do you make of Mrs Lintott’s promise ‘I will protect you’? What does Rudge’s definition of history suggest about: - Him as a character? - History itself? - The way that the boys have been taught history? Annotate Rudge’s speech on p. 86. It is really the only time Rudge says more than a few words in any scene. What does it suggest about him and his experience of applying for Oxbridge? What do you make of Hector’s response to the speech?

9. Crowther: ‘I’ll be glad when we can be shot of all this shit.’ What is Crowther suggesting about the process of getting into Oxbridge (and particularly about their experience)? What do you think ‘all this shit’ is referring to? Do you think that they will be ‘shot of all this shit’ when their interviews are over? What might Bennett be suggesting about their futures?

10. After reading pages 87-91: Dakin and Irwin