The Crucible Test
The test consists of ten questions and on essay question. In addition, there is a bonus
question for which credit will be given only if the other questions have been answered.
YOU MAY USE YOUR BOOK!
Please type your answers, or write them on a separate piece of paper. I will not be
counting grammar and spelling AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT INTERFERE WITH
COMPREHENSION.
Here is an example of the type of question you will see and the types of answers I expect:
Discuss the role that grudges and personal rivalries play in the witch trial hysteria.
Answer 1: The trials in The Crucible take place in a deeply religious society, and most
of the characters believe that rooting out witches from their community is God’s work.
However, there are feuds and many Salem residents use the trials to settle long-held
grudges and exact revenge on their enemies. Abigail has a grudge against Elizabeth
Proctor because Elizabeth fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair
with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth and have
her sent to jail. Meanwhile, Reverend Parris uses the trials to strengthen his position
within the village by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his
authority. Thomas Putnam has a grudge against Francis Nurse for a bitter land dispute
with one of Putnam’s relatives. In the end, Rebecca, Francis’s virtuous wife, is convicted
of the supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s dead babies. Thus, the Putnams not only
strike a blow against the Nurse family but also gain some measure of satisfaction for the
tragedy of seven stillbirths. This pursuit of “justice” typifies the way that many of the
inhabitants approach the witch trials as an opportunity to gain ultimate satisfaction for
simmering resentments by convincing themselves that their rivals are beyond wrong, that
they are in league with the devil.
Answer 2: Many character’s in The Crucible use the trials as an opportunity for
advancement. However, only Thomas Putnam is able to leverage all of these personal
feelings to his own agenda. We know that he prompts his daughter Ruth to call out
neighbors like George Jacobs, but his puppetry goes even further, using “poppets” to run
other “poppets”. At times he even seems to work against his own interests in pursuit of
an advantage. For example, we are told in one of the asides that Parris has gotten a job
Putnam had wished for a relative. Mr. Putnam maintains a friendship with Parris
anyway, leaving him access to advising Parris to pursue the witch hunt by making it
public as soon as possible. Putnam is able to begin the hunt through an intermediary,
against whom he has a grudge.
The Crucible Final
Mr. Hopkins 2011
Please answer four of the following questions in complete sentences and provide details
from the play to support your answer. You should be able to answer in a paragraph or
two. All answers should be typed or written legibly on a separate piece of paper. Each
question is worth 25 points.
1) Who is having more of a problem getting over the affair, John Proctor or
Elizabeth?
2) If you had to name one “bad guy” in the story who, would it be and why?
3) If you had to name one “good guy” in the story, who would it be and why?
4) Does the Reverend Hale bear any responsibility for the hangings that occurred?
Please base your answers to questions 5 and 6 on the quote below.
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign
myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I
live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”
5) Explain the context and significance of this quote within the play.
6) In the end, why does Proctor refuse to let them use the signed paper? What
connection does this have to the idea of McCarthyism?
7) Discuss the changes that Reverend Hale undergoes in the course of the play.
8) What kind of government does Salem have? What role does it play in the action?
9) Choose and explain one similarity and one difference between McCarthyism and
the Witch Trials.
10) Is Abigail Williams an evil person, or does she have reasons for being who she
is? How would you judge her?
Bonus Question worth 10 extra points if you need it (you must answer the required four
test questions to get these points):
Identify and explain one example of irony in the play.
“What is John Proctor?” Essay
In Arthur Miller’s play, on page 138, John Proctor asks “God in Heaven,
What is John Proctor?” The question occurs as the character searches for
something about himself that he can hold onto in the face of having lost
himself via his affair with Abigail, being dishonest to his wife, and the chaos
of the witch trials. He finds that he is unwilling to sell out his friends by
blackening their name with his own confession.
Your assignment is to ask and answer the same question to yourself. What
are you? You should describe something about yourself that you believe to
be true, but has been challenged. Discuss what is true about you, how it has
been challenged, and the results of that challenge and the overall impact on
your life.
Requirements:
 500 word (2 pages)
 Typed
 Double spaced