Quiz: The Crucible Acts 1 & 2
Comprehension (90 points; 3 points each)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
____ 1. The best definition of the word “crucible” as it applies to the play is
a. the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace where molten lead collects
b. a container made of a substance that can resist great heat
c. a lamp burning before a cross
d. a severe test or trial
____ 2. In the Overture, Salem is described as all of the following except a
a. place inhabited by fanatics
b. few dark houses
c. prosperous village
d. location that ships out products of increasing value
____ 3. Before the action of the play begins, Betty Parris and her friends
a. have been chasing boys and flirting with them
b. have had affairs with some of the men in town
c. have been caught dancing in the woods
d. have been guilty of blasphemy and witchcraft themselves
____ 4. Which of the following statements best describes Tituba?
a. She leads the girls astray.
b. She is from Boston, and Reverend Parris distrusts her.
c. She commonly performs minor acts of witchcraft.
d. She is a slave from Barbados who is devoted to Betty.
____ 5. Who is Reverend Parris’s niece?
a. Susanna Walcott
b. Abigail Williams
c. Mary Warren
d. Mercy Lewis
____ 6. What does Abigail Williams believe about her dismissal from the Proctor’s service?
a. Elizabeth Proctor was hard to please.
b. Elizabeth Proctor drank and blamed Abigail for her drinking.
c. John Proctor did not fire her, but Elizabeth Proctor did.
d. John Proctor liked her and did not want her to work.
____ 7. What is Ann Putnam’s greatest grief?
a. Her daughter Ruth is about to die.
b. Seven of her children died in infancy.
c. She is worried about Ruth’s bad behavior.
d. She knows her husband is unfaithful.
____ 8. Why is the Reverend John Hale summoned?
a. He is to settle the dispute between Parris and Parris’s parishioners.
b. The parishioners want him to come and preach instead of Parris.
c. He has legal training and will help with the disputes over property.
d. He is an expert on witchcraft and can help Salem.
____ 9. Arthur Miller gives us valuable information about Abigail’s character when he says in a
stage direction that she
a. hates Reverend Parris
c. likes men too much
b. has a great capacity for lying
d. has too much influence over the other girls
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10. Betty is likely to be in a trancelike state because
a. she fears punishment for being caught dancing in the woods
b. she has been spoiled by her father and is trying to get his attention
c. she feels upset about losing her mother
d. she does not like Tituba and wants to get her in trouble
____ 11. A possible motivation for later accusations of witchcraft is suggested by all of the
following except
a. John Proctor’s disapproval of Reverend Parris
b. Putnam’s land dispute with Giles Corey
c. Abigail’s interest in John Proctor
d. Hale’s statement that Betty is a witch
____ 12. When Abigail threatens Betty, Abigail is motivated by her
a. jealousy of Betty’s pampered life as the daughter of a minister
b. need for attention in the village because she is an orphan
c. fear of the villagers knowing everything they did in the woods
d. fear that Tituba will be accused of witchcraft
____ 13. Abigail accuses Goody Good and Goody Osburn of witchcraft because
a. she is angry with John Proctor for rejecting her
b. the accusations seem to be a way to cause Parris trouble
c. something evil happened to the girls in the forest
d. she can persuade Mrs. Putnam and not be punished
____ 14. Giles Corey says that his wife has been reading strange books because he
a. is angry and wants his wife to be punished
b. wants to see if Reverend Hale knows about witches
c. wants to ask about something he thinks is important
d. thinks his wife may be a witch
____ 15. Mary Warren
a. accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch
b. claims that she is an official of the court trying witches
c. lies to Reverend Hale
d. does not like either Elizabeth or John Proctor
____16. When he comes in from planting, what suggestion does John Proctor make to his wife
concerning the house?
a. He wants her to make Mary Warren clean it.
b. He says that the house is dark and dreary.
c. He says because their family is larger, they need more room.
d. He suggests that she bring in some flowers.
____ 17. Elizabeth is afraid that her husband
a. thinks that she is a witch c. is drawn to Mary Warren
b. is still interested in Abigail Williams d. is too harsh with Abigail Williams
____ 18. The people who have been accused of being witches by the court may save themselves
from hanging by
a. praying and saying the Lord’s Prayer
b. accusing other people of being witches
c. confessing to being witches
d. denying that they are witches and reciting Biblical passages
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____19. What reason does John Proctor give Reverend Hale for his absence from church?
a. He does not think Reverend Parris is godly.
b. He needs the time to work his farm.
c. His children have been frequently ill.
d. God does not require constant church attendance.
____ 20. Hale comes to the Proctors’ house
a. to get John’s help to stop the witch trials
b. to find out why Elizabeth has not been at church
c. to ask the Proctors some questions
d. because he knows that the girls are all lying about seeing witches
____ 21. Which commandment does John forget when Hale asks him to recite the Ten
Commandments?
a. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. c. Thou shalt not steal.
b. Thou shalt not bear false witness. d. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
____ 22. What is Hale’s advice to the Proctors as he prepares to leave their house?
a. He tells both of them to stay away from Abigail Williams.
b. He tells them to go to church and baptize their youngest child.
c. He counsels them to stay away from Salem.
Two Test
d. He urges Elizabeth to discharge Mary Warren from their service.
____23. What is unusual about the doll that Mary Warren makes for Elizabeth?
a. It has a needle stuck in its stomach.
b. It looks like Abigail.
c. Mary made it from corn shucks and shells.
d. It looks like Elizabeth.
____ 24. Ezekiel Cheever is
a. a judge in the court c. a deputy magistrate
b. the clerk of the court d. a doctor in the town
____ 25. As Elizabeth is led away to jail, what does John demand of Mary Warren?
a. that she stay away from the witch trials in the town
b. that she inform the court that Abigail is lying
c. that she take care of the Proctor children until Elizabeth returns
d. that she stop lying and accusing people of being witches
____ 26. One of the chief conflicts established in Act Two is between
a. John and Elizabeth Proctor
b. Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren
c. John Proctor and John Hale
d. John Proctor and Ezekiel Cheever
____27. Marshal Herrick is shamefaced when he appears at the Proctors’ house because he
a. is drunk
b. has accused Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey of witchcraft
c. comes to take away Elizabeth
d. comes to ask John for money
____ 28. Mary Warren’s motivation for joining the girls in their accusations of witchcraft is
a. her hatred of John and Elizabeth Proctor
b. that she has been mistreated by some of the women in the village
c. that she is a lonely girl who craves friends and attention
d. that she wants power over others
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____ 29. Elizabeth says that Abigail accuses her of being a witch because Abigail
a. is bored and the witchcraft trials are fun for her
b. is still angry at Elizabeth because she made her work so hard
c. is afraid that she herself will be accused of being a witch
d. wants to get rid of Elizabeth so she can have John
____30. What does Proctor tell Mary?
a. She is forbidden to go to court.
b. She must tell the court that she stuck the needle in the poppet.
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
Written Response (10 points)
30. Tituba, Abigail, and Betty name people whom they claim accompanied the Devil. On the back of the
scantron, explain why these three declare that they saw certain people with the
Devil. Then, describe what circumstances motivate them to name specific individuals. Support
your reasons with at least two references to Act One.
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