Witchcraft at Salem

PART A: Which of the following best describes a central idea of the passage? (RI.1.2)

• A. Once someone was accused of witchcraft, there was no way out; anyone who

  confessed or tried to prove their innocence was executed.

• B. If Tituba had not been present in Salem, any suspicions about witchcraft would

  not have been taken as seriously.

• C. The town of Salem believed it was being plagued by witches, and in their panic

  they held a number of unfair trials.

• D. The girls of Salem purposefully targeted people they hated, fully understanding

  the consequences of their actions.

(PART A: Which of the following best describes a central idea of the passage?)

PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A? (RI.1.1)

• A. “Parris had a slave from the Caribbean named Tituba. Several of the town’s

  teenage girls began to gather in the kitchen with Tituba early in 1692.”

  (Paragraph 2)

• B. “the young girls who attended the trial were known to scream and writhe on the

  floor in the middle of the test.” (Paragraph 4)

• C. “However, 20 people and 2 dogs were executed for the crime of witchcraft in

  Salem. One person was pressed to death under a pile of stones for refusing to

  testify.” (Paragraph 9)

• D. “No one knows the whole truth behind what happened in Salem. Once

  witchcraft is ruled out, other important factors come to light.” (Paragraph 10)

Which of the following statements best describes how the conditions in Salem contributed to the development of the witch hunts? (RI.1.3)

• A. Salem was a strict religious community that had suffered many recent tragedies,

  and these conditions created an environment of fear and paranoia.

• B. Salem was a small community separate from larger European settlements and

  did not have the proper authorities to prevent these unjust trials.

• C. Salem did not permit dancing or any type of fun, and this boredom compelled

  its citizens to seek out excitement in the witch hunts.

• D. Salem was a small community in which women wielded little power because it

  was feared that power turned women into witches.

Which statement best captures the author’s point of view on the trials? (RI.2.6)

• A. The author blames the girls for creating the atmosphere of fear in Salem.

• B. The author believes in the possibility of actual witchcraft in Salem.

• C. The author views its origins as unknown but explainable.

• D. The author describes the trials as nonsensical and without any procedure.

What is an advantage of using images to portray information about the subject? (RI.3.7)