74 pages 2 hours read

Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1949

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Answer Key

Act I, Scenes 1-6

Reading Check

1. Willy Loman is a traveling salesman. (Act I, Scene 1)

2. Biff steals his new football. (Act I, Scene 3)

3. Young Biff promises to score a touchdown for Willy. (Act I, Scene 3)

4. Willy exaggerates his earnings to Linda. (Act I, Scene 5)

5. Willy thinks people don’t like him because he talks too much. (Act I, Scene 5)

Short Answer

1. Willy Loman confuses the past and present. (Act I, Scenes 1-2)

2. Linda Loman is worried about Willy being tired and having a car accident. She tells him to ask his boss for a route closer to home. (Act I, Scene 1)

3. Willy Loman alternately says Biff is lazy and then that he is a hard worker. The relationship seems based on disappointment. (Act I, Scene 1)

4. Willy depends on his sons to inflate Willy’s ego by playing well in a football game or making Willy look good in front of clients. (Act I, Scenes 3-4)

5. Bernard is worried young Biff will fail math class and fail to graduate from high school.