The Crucible Quiz

The play opens with Reverend Parris praying by his afflicted daughter's bedside. We are left to infer from the dialogue that follows between Parris and his niece, the details of the events preceding this moment. What do we come to learn has caused Betty's affliction?

• She has been bewitched

• She is desperately frightened because her father has seen her meddling with witchcraft

• Abigail has poisoned her with a brew made in the forest

• She feels terribly guilty because she has had an affair with a married man

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

From the above dialogue, we can infer that the Reverend’s primary motive for wanting to know what happened in the forest is...

• His fatherly love for his daughter

• His jealousy over Betty’s fondness for Abigail

• His concern for his own reputation

• His desire for gossip, to know more about the townspeople

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The Putnams then enter the bedroom. Miller describes Mrs. Putnam as “a twisted soul of forty-five, a death-ridden woman, haunted by dreams.” What has happened in her life to twist her soul and haunt her dreams?

• She has lost seven seemingly-healthy babies to an inexplicable death

• She desperately hates Goody Good, her rival in the village

• She and her husband have been sued again and again by the villagers

• She is ridden with jealousy over Rebecca Nurse’s fame as a saintly woman

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

Once John and Abigail are left (mostly) alone in the room, we see some details of their relationship unmasked. These details are revealed both through their dialogue and the stage directions. Read over the following stage directions. What do these reveal about the present feelings of both Abigail and John? Proctor (looking at Abigail now, the faintest suggestion of a knowing smile on his face).

Proctor (his smile widening) Abigail (her concentrated desire destroys his smile) Proctor (setting her firmly out of his way) Abigail (grasping his hand before he can release her) Abigail (clutching him desperately) Proctor (gently pressing her from him, with great sympathy but firmly)

• Abby still longs for John and wants to rekindle their affair; John, though fond of her and tempted by her, is determined to maintain his distance.

• Abby is angry and resentful at John for breaking off their affair; John is trying to be understanding and kind though he no longer desires her

• Abby is in love with John but is determined not to hurt him; John is playing with her feelings because she is young and vulnerable

• Abby still hopes to seduce John despite her earlier failure to do so; John is steadfastly resisting the temptation and is disgusted by her efforts

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

The company asks Rebecca Nurse, an elderly woman renowned for her piety, to give advice about the stricken Betty. She says, "I think she’ll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times a grandma, and I have seen them all through their silly seasons, and when it come on them they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she’ll wake when she tires of it. A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back."

Her advice can best be summarized by which of the following?

• The girls are clearly bewitched; do not chase their spirits or the devil will whisk them away.

• The girls are just acting like silly teenagers. Leave them alone and they’ll come to their senses.

• The girls are acting silly; all you need to do is give them a good beating and they will stop.

• The girls are under the influence of the Devil; bring the witch finders as quickly as possible to break the spell.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

It is revealed that John Proctor has not been to church in some time. What does he offer as an explanation for his absence?

• He has been working outside the county in another town

• His child has been ill

• He can’t bear to sit in the congregation with “soiled” or sinful people

• He doesn’t like the negative preaching of Reverend Parris

The Crucible has several passages of authorial intrusion, where Arthur Miller breaks into the dialogue of the play to offer readers historical commentary and character analyses. Of Reverend Hale, Miller writes, "Mr. Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. . .Coming into Salem now, Reverend Hale conceives of himself much as a young doctor on his first call. His painfully acquired armory of symptoms, catchwords, and diagnostic procedures are now to be put to use at last. . .His goal is light, goodness and its preservation, and he knows the exaltation of the blessed whose intelligence, sharpened by minute examinations of enormous tracts, is finally called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself."

From this description, we can conclude that Hale is...

• Well-meaning, though a bit arrogant and naïve

• Full of himself and malicious

• Kind and with no motive but to help others

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Coming back from the court in Act II, Mary Warren is tired and emotional; she weeps and talks about the court “with horror.” Which of the following best explains her reactions?

• She is finally realizing the serious consequences of the girls’ actions and feels compelled to justify her guilt.

• She is worried that she will be found out as a fraud and exposed.

• She is afraid of Abigail, knowing that one misstep could have her accused as well.

• She is overwhelmed by all of the attention, being a girl who usually doesn’t enjoy much attention.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

When Reverend Hale asks John to demonstrate his piety by reciting the commandments, John forgets which one?

• Thou shalt not steal

• Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy

• Thou shalt honor thy parents

• Thou shalt not commit adultery

What does his forgetting this particular commandment tell us about John?

• That he feels guilty for not attending church often

• That he is worried about the Putnam’s encroaching on his property

• That he doesn’t think of his family members—specifically his wife—enough

• That he feels guilty for breaking his marriage vows

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3