LET'S READ THIS What you are going to read is an excerpt from a one - act play entitled " This is a Test " written by Stephen Gregg . This activity will give you an idea how a one - act play looks like . This Is a Test : An Excerpt By Stephen Gregg ( A high - pitched whine of the type that signals emergency broadcast system tests . ) THE TEST . This is a test . For the next sixty minutes , this classroom will conduct a test of your emergency information retrieval system . This is only a test . ( Up on ALAN , who is a mess : wearing an unbuttoned shirt , a dazed and frantic expression , and a misbehaving hair . A moment when it's not clear that he even knows where he is . LOIS appears . ) LOIS . Are you OK ? night ? I learned that the Battle of Hastings was ALAN . AAAH ! When did you get here ? in 1066 and I learned that Thomas Edison's middle name was Alva . That's it . That's all I LOIS . We came in together . know . If we're asked when the Battle of ALAN . I shouldn't have done this . Hastings was , I can say , " The Battle of Hastings was in 1066. " If she asks , " What was Thomas LOIS . It's going to be worth it . Edison's middle name ? I can say , " Alva . " Other than that , I'm completely sunk . ALAN . This was not a good idea . LOIS . No you're not . LOIS . You know the stuff , right ? ALAN . Evan wouldn't have done this . ALAN . I don't feel good . LOIS . You're going to get an A , and you're LOIS . What does Evan have to do with this ? going to thank me . ALAN . He has the best grades in the class , and ALAN . No. I should have slept . he didn't stay up all night . LOIS . I told you , sleeping a little is worse than LOIS . Who cares ? no sleep ALAN . For you maybe . You do this all the time . ALAN . He's going to get a better grade than I I'm not used to this . I shouldn't have done it . I am , and he didn't have you texting him every should have turned off my distracting phone . half hour to say , " Are you still awake ? " Yes , Lois , I am still awake . I am still awake , Lois !! LOIS . You did the right thing . am still awake ! ALAN . It didn't work . I don't know anything . LOIS . What you need to do is to calm down ! LOIS . Yes , you do . ALAN . I'm sorry . It's all that blended caffeine . It ALAN . I don't . makes me nervous . ( He retrieves study materials from under his LOIS . I know desk to scan and to study them . ) ALAN ( cont'd ) . I have to study some more . ALAN . I lose my concentration . ( Stopping at a random spot . ) Saladin . A Muslim LOIS . Me too . sultan of Egypt in the twelfth century . His name means " keeper of the faith . " He grew up in Lower Mesopotamia . ALAN . I lose my concentration . I just have to read some more . LOIS . Stop it . It's too late to study now . You either know it or you don't . Relaxing is the best LOIS . No. Trust me . Just close your eyes ... ( He thing to do now does . ) and relax . Thinking about something else will help . ALAN . I can't ! I don't know anything ! Nothing ( End of excerpt . ) stuck with me . You know what I learned last . Spot or identify the verbals used in the play . FINAL TASK Passing a test is not easy , it takes a lot of preparation . Realistically speaking , Alan probably failed his test because he was not ready . However , the excerpt is not finished so we don't know what happened . you are going to imagine a conversation with Alan . You are going to write the ending of the excerpt . You are going to comfort Alan because he is sad about failing his test . You are also going to teach him five study habits that will help him pass his next test . Do not forget to use verbals in your script .