Twelve Angry Men
by Reginald Rose
Study Guide
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THE JURORS
Character
JUROR 1
the Foreman
JUROR 2
the Mouse
JUROR 3
the Bad Dad
JUROR 4
the Stockbroker
JUROR 5
the Kid from the
Slums
JUROR 6
the Working Turtle
JUROR 7
the Bully
JUROR 8
the Fair Architect
JUROR 9
the Old Man
JUROR 10
the Bigot
JUROR 11
the Immigrant
JUROR 12
the Ad Man
Description
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Answer questions IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.
Act I
1. In your own words, state what instructions the judge gives to the jurors. How many jurors must vote guilty
for the accused to be convicted?
2. What mood is established at the beginning of the play? (hint: think about how the jury room itself - time
and weather - affects the jurors)
3. What do we know of the defendant? Of what is the defendant accused?
4. Name the four major pieces of evidence against the defendant.
5. What is the result of the first vote? Which juror is particularly anxious to make a quick decision? Which
juror is the least confident of his vote? Which juror votes “not guilty” and for what reason?
6. What is the cause of Three’s anger toward all kids?
7. What does Ten reveal about himself with the following comment: “How can you believe him, knowing
what he is? I lived among ’em all my life. You can’t believe a word they say” (16)?
8. What comments do Seven, Three, and Four make about the defendant? Why does Five react as he does? ?
9. Juror Eight says he had a funny feeling about this trial—a feeling that something about the trial was unfair.
What does he think was wrong?
10. What happens to make the “knife theory” invalid?
11. What “proposition” does Juror Eight make on page 26? What is his motive for making the proposal?
12. What is the result of the second vote? Which juror do you think changed his vote?
13. From what you have learned of the jurors thus far, who appears to be the protagonist in this play? Why?
Who appears to be the antagonist? Why?
14. Why does Nine change his vote? Who is Nine?
15. Eight makes a point about the passing el train that suggests a flaw in the old man’s story. What point does
he make?
16. Nine thinks the old man might have said what he said in order to get attention, not because he actually heard
anything. What led him to this conclusion?
17. Regarding the defendant, Ten states, “Bright! He’s a common ignorant slob. He don’t even speak good
English!” (36). What is ironic about this statement?
18. What point does Eleven make about whether the boy was panicked or not panicked (p.39)?
19. Why does Three immediately look embarrassed after saying that the witness is an old man who is confused
half of the time (p.43)?
20. How does Juror Eight disprove the old man’s testimony of hearing the boy and seeing him run down the
stairs?
21. On what dramatic note does this act end? What makes the dramatic climax so significant?
Act II
22. In the opening of Act II, Juror Eleven praises the fact that people can hold unpopular opinions in this
country. He continues speaking about democracy. Why does Reginald Rose give him these lines?
23. Juror Eleven makes a suggestion that one of the others does not understand “reasonable doubt.” To whom is
he directing his remark, and why is the other juror angry?
24. What point does Eight make by questioning Four about what movie he saw?
25. What does Three do to Eight in the beginning of Act III that causes the others to cry, “Look out!”
26. Why is Five convinced that the boy did not stab his father? What makes Five an authority?
27. After Five’s comments about the knife, another vote is taken. How does the count stand after this vote?
28. In the scene where Ten starts talking about “those people,” why do the other jurors get up from the table?
29. What comments does Juror Eight make that seem to settle the argument about “doubt”?
30. To Four, what is the most convincing evidence that the boy is guilty?
31. What does Nine mention about the woman that forces the jurors to think about the woman and her glasses?
32. What is brought up to refute the woman’s claim that she saw the boy kill his father?
33. Why does Four change his vote to not guilty?
34. What is the dramatic climax of this act?
35. Did Three finally believe the boy was not guilty, or did he vote just to get it over with? Support your
answer.
36. What is the major point of this play?
Notes:
LEGAL VOCABULARY
Legal Terms
1. innocent until proven guilty—rule that it is the state’s responsibility to prove guilt (because defendant
is assumed to be innocent); the suspect does not have to prove innocence
2. beyond a reasonable doubt—rule that jurors can only find the defendant guilty if they are convinced
100% of his or her guilt, leaving no room for doubt of the defendant’s innocence
3. double jeopardy—rule that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime (even if evidence arises
later that proves that person is guilty)
4. burden of proof – the duty of the prosecution to prove the facts necessary to win their case
Legal People
5. defendant—the person who has been accused of doing something illegal (innocent until proven guilty)
6. defense attorney—the lawyer who tries to prove innocence of the defendant
7. prosecution attorney—the lawyer who tries to prove the guilt of the defendant. (represents the state)
8. witness—someone who tells what they saw or what they know about a crime in a court of law.
9. jury—a group of twelve people who listen to details of a case in court and decide if someone is guilty.
(juror =single member of a jury)
10. foreman—a juror chosen to lead a jury and deliver the verdict to the judge
11. hung jury—a jury which cannot reach a unanimous verdict; a hung jury would require a retrial.
Legal Actions
12. acquit—to find the defendant innocent
13. convict—to find the defendant guilty of the crime
14. cross-examine—to question a witness who has already testified for the opposite side
15. deliberate—to consider or discuss carefully
16. perjury—the act of lying under oath in court
17. premeditate—to plan or plot [a crime] in advance
18. take/plead the Fifth—to refuse to testify when doing so might incriminate that witness in a crime
(based on the 14th Amendment which states that a person cannot be forced to testify against himself)
Legal Matters
19. alibi—an excuse used by the defendant to prove he/she was elsewhere when the crime was committed
20. testimony – the formal statement/story provided by a witness in a court of law.
21. trial - a legal process in which a court of law examines a case
22. verdict—the final decision made by a jury about whether or not someone is guilty
23. homicide—the killing of one person by another
24. first degree murder – the most serious type of murder in which someone deliberately kills someone
else (premeditated murder)
25. second degree murder—1) intentional killing that is neither planned nor committed in a "heat of
passion" or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for
human life.
26. manslaughter—unlawful killing of a person, without hatred or premeditation (usually considered less
serious than murder); involuntary manslaughter is accidental, such as running into someone with a car;
voluntary manslaughter is committed in the “heat of passion,” such as a getting into a spontaneous fight
in which one person is killed by a strong punch
GENERAL VOCABULARY
abstain – to refrain from something by one’s own choice
antagonize – to make someone to become hostile or unfriendly
belligerently – in a hostile or angry manner
bickering – arguing
bigot –a person who is completely intolerant of any different group, race,
religion, belief, or opinion
6. blunder – a serious mistake
7. conceivable – able to be pictured mentally and believed
8. coroner – a public officer who investigates any death, not clearly resulting
from natural causes
9. discrepancy – a fault or error noted between conflicting facts or claims
10. el – a subway train that runs on tracks elevated a few stories above street level.
11. ensuing – following in order, coming afterward in immediate succession
12. flimsy – weak and thin
13. infallible – absolutely trustworthy and accurate
14. insignificant – a very small detail that has little or no importance
15. intimidate – threaten, frighten into submission
16. meek – quiet, submissive, gentle
17. monopoly – the exclusive ownership of a business
18. naïve –having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous
19. pantomime – acting without words
20. preliminary – preceding before the main part; introductory; initial
21. proposition – a deal; bargain
22. rapport – relationship, especially one of mutual trust or emotional liking
23. reflectively – with insight and deep thought
24. refugee –a person who flees one country and seeks safety somewhere else
25. sadist – one who takes pleasure in hurting someone else.
26. sheepishly – with embarrassment
27. stereotyping – the act of putting people into groups and making assumptions based on race, religion,
nationality, physical appearance, social class, or some other easily identifiable characteristic
28. tenement—a large apartment building offering only the basics, usually located in an urban setting .
29. unanimous – complete agreement with no one dissenting
30. writhing – squirming, moving in twisting movements
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(Literary Terms)
1. Antagonist - the person or force that is in conflict with, or opposes, the protagonist.
2. Characterization - the methods, incidents, speech, etc., an author uses to reveal the people in the book.
Characterization is depicted by what the person says, what others say, and by his or her actions.
3. Dialogue - conversation between two or more characters
4. Drama – plays intended to be acted; performances of plays –
5. Motivation - the reasons behind a character’s actions –
6. Plot - the pattern of events in a literary work; what happens
7. Climax - the point of greatest dramatic tension or excitement in a story.
8. Protagonist - the central or main character in a story around whom the plot centers.
9. Stage Directions - the information given for the reader to visualize the setting, position of props, etc., in a
play Stage directions may give additional impressions of the characters through short descriptions and
through what they do.
10. Theme - the central or dominant idea behind the story; a universal statement about humanity, rather than a
simple statement dealing with plot or characters in the story.
KEEPING TRACK OF TESTIMONIES
Witness Testimony
Old man downstairs
Is it credible?
The kid
Lady across the el tracks
Couple across hall from kid’s apartment
Movie theater workers
The kid’s friends
The junk shop owner
Jury Vote #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Guilty Votes
Not Guilty Votes
EVIDENCE TRACKING CHART for Twelve Angry Men
Build a case for a GUILTY verdict:
Page
#
Build a case for a NON-GUILTY verdict:
Page
#
EVIDENCE CONTINUED…
Build a case for a GUILTY verdict:
Page
#
Build a case for a NON-GUILTY verdict:
Page
#
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER