The Crucible
Questions to Ponder
The following is a list of questions about our play. Please answer one question per act
using several quotes from the play to support your opinions. Your answers should
contain an introduction, body, and conclusion where appropriate. You must type this for
full credit. YOUR INTRODUCTION SHOULD HAVE A GUIDING THESIS AND IT
SHOULD BE UNDERLINED.
1. Compare two character’s reactions to the same thing or person.
2. You are an attorney for either the defense or the prosecution. Either defend or
condemn any person we have met so far in a court of law. Frame your response
as a closing argument intended for a jury.
3. How is the plot of this play driven by the idea of conflict? What kinds of conflicts
exist and where do you see this? (Human vs. human, human vs. nature,
human vs. society, human vs. self). Or, discuss one character’s internal or
external conflicts; what causes them? What results because of these conflicts?
4. Select a character and explain how the play would be different if not for her/his
actions.
5. Explain how Puritan society is to blame for this happening.
6. Be the devil’s advocate and take a contrary position to one we have discussed in
class (ex. Abigail as sympathetic, John Proctor as villain, etc.).
7. Analyze how a character has changed throughout the Act or the throughout the
play giving an example from the early on and one from later to demonstrate your
point.
8. Choose three adjectives to describe a certain character and justify your choices
by finding an example for each.
9. Select a line or lines that are profound, unclear, or revealing about a character
and then explain why you found them to be important.
10. Explain why something in the play reminds you of something you have heard
about, done, or seen.
11. Refer to a set of stage directions and explain why they are important to the
meaning of a scene.
12. Explain a character’s motivation in a certain scene from the play.
13. Nominate one character for Salem’s ______________ of the year, 1692 and explain
why.
14. Why is no one speaking out against the accusers? Find proof for your belief.
15. Explain one crucial decision that a character has made that caused this to
happen.
16. How is this play about power, how it shifts, and what humans do in certain
situations to get it? How has the pattern of accusations changed?
17. Create a simile. This situation in Salem is like ______________, and then goes
on to explain why.
18. Compose a one page story or a continuation of the play about a character we
have read about. Give her/him a back story and refer to their situation as only
they would know.
19. Find a song, movie, or real life situation and explain the similarities.
These are just a few ideas. Make sure to ALWAYS, ALWAYS, REFER TO THE TEXT
DIRECTLY TO PROVE YOUR POINT. Any assignment missing quotes and proper
citations will receive a check minus.