The Crucible

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice on your scantron that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Critical Reading

____ 1. What is Reverend Parris upset about at the opening of Act I?

a. rumors of witchcraft circulating in the community
b. Abigail’s dismissal from the Proctor household
c. his daughter’s condition and the possible connection to her inappropriate activities in the
woods
d. Tituba’s influence over the children
____ 2. From the comments of Parris in Act I, his concern for his daughter seems primarily based on his
a. anxiety about his reputation. c. great love for his only child.
b. fear for the fate of her soul. d. terror of the Devil.
____ 3. What can be inferred from Act I about the attitude of Puritans toward their slaves?
a. They saw their slaves as equals in God’s sight.
b. They saw their slaves as being only a step removed from paganism.
c. They feared and mistrusted their slaves.
d. They treated their slaves as valued members of the household.
____ 4. Thomas Putnam’s attitude toward Reverend Parris is one of
a. mistrust. c. pity.
b. respect. d. contempt.
____ 5. This passage is from the background information at the opening of Act I. For what detail that comes out later
in Act I does this information prepare you?
Long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken, despite the
Bible’s charitable injunctions. Land-lust which had been expressed before by constant bickering over
boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena of morality . . .

a. Putnam arguing with Proctor about a piece of land to which both men lay claim
b. Reverend Parris complaining about his salary
c. Abigail’s reluctance to tell the truth about what happened in the woods
d. Abigail’s dismissal from service in the Proctor household
____ 6. How does Mrs. Putnam justify sending Ruth to Tituba?
a. Tituba promised to revive Mrs. Putnam’s dead children.
b. Mrs. Putnam didn’t think a little foolish “conjuring” would do any harm.
c. Mrs. Putnam thought it might help Ruth, who seemed to be ailing.
d. Mrs. Putnam feels she deserves to know why she has had to endure the deaths of seven
children.
____ 7. Mrs. Putnam’s comments suggest that her primary motivation in hunting for witches is
a. anger at having lost her children.
b. compassion for the two sick girls.
c. curiosity about the mysterious events in the woods.
d. resentment of Reverend Parris.
____ 8. Which phrase best describes Abigail Williams’s character?
a. impulsive and thoughtless c. proud and manipulative
b. naive and timid d. affectionate and vulnerable
____ 9. From Act I, it can be inferred that the Puritans associated the forest with
a. dancing and other amusements. c. God’s presence in nature.
b. disorder and evil. d. the purity of the natural world.
____ 10. From the scene in which the girls are alone, what can be inferred as the basis of Abigail’s influence over the
other girls?
a. her beauty and cleverly crafted purity
b. her social position as the minister’s niece
c. her charm and magnetic persuasiveness
d. her use of her early experiences to terrorize them
____ 11. Which word best describes John Proctor’s words and actions in Act I?
a. compassionate c. independent
b. devout d. shrewd
____ 12. Why does Reverend Parris send for Reverend Hale?
a. Parris feels the Salemites will be more accepting of an outside opinion.
b. Hale is considered an expert in matters of witchcraft and the Devil.
c. Hale is the most skilled medical person in the region.
d. Parris feels utterly unprepared to deal with the issues he fears are at hand.
____ 13. Given this piece of information from the stage directions, what can readers conclude about Tituba’s behavior
at the end of Act I?
She enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of her beloved, but she is
also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house
eventually lands on her back.

a. Tituba is so fond of Betty that she’ll try anything to help her.

b. Tituba is actually in love with Reverend Parris and confesses to keep him out of trouble.
c. Tituba’s “slave sense” is what got her and the girls into trouble in the first place.
d. She is so sure that trouble will befall her that she plays along with Hale as he pushes her
for information.
____ 14. What is the setting of Act II of The Crucible?
a. the following day at the home of John and Elizabeth Proctor
b. Reverend Parris’s home, about a week after the accusations of witchcraft have begun
c. the Proctors’ home, eight days after the girls have begun to accuse people
d. the Salem meeting house, just before Abigail’s trial
____ 15. Which of the following sentences best describes the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor at the
opening of Act II?
a. They are warm and affectionate.
b. They seem not to care about each other.
c. They seem ill at ease together.
d. They are hostile and bitter toward each other.
____ 16. When Elizabeth says to Proctor, “The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you,” she means that Proctor
a. carries the knowledge of his own guilt.
b. is too quick to judge himself.
c. should speak more openly about his thoughts.
d. knows that she loves him and forgives him.
____ 17. Proctor’s comment to Mary Warren, “It’s strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women,” implies that
he thinks Mary’s behavior is
a. cruel. c. cowardly.
b. hypocritical. d. rash.
____ 18. Which of the following words best characterizes Mary Warren?
a. pious c. Gullible
b. jealous d. Vicious
____ 19. What is Mary’s motive in giving the “poppet” to Elizabeth?
a. She wants to make friends with Elizabeth.
b. She wants Elizabeth to see her as an innocent girl.
c. She wants to plant evidence of witchcraft in Elizabeth’s house.
d. She wants to make peace with Elizabeth after disobeying her.
____ 20. When Mary says that the crowd parted for Abigail like the sea for Israel, she makes
a. a comparison to politics. c. eventual trouble for Abigail.
b. an allusion to the Bible. d. a bigoted joke.
____ 21. When Hale appears at the Proctors’ door, he is described as “different now—drawn a little, and there is a
quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now.” What accounts for this change?
a. He has seen events go beyond his expectations in Salem.
b. He no longer believes in witchcraft but must proceed.
c. He feels guilty that he has also felt desire for Abigail.
d. He fears that even he may be at risk.
____ 22. Hale’s interview with Proctor reveals Hale to be
a. blinded by power. c. kind but foolish.
b. troubled but rigid. d. tolerant and open.
____ 23. What is Proctor’s attitude toward Parris?
a. He respects Parris’s devotion to God.
b. He differs with Parris on issues of church doctrine.
c. He believes that Parris is too interested in wealth.
d. He thinks that Parris is too lenient in judging people.
____ 24. Why does Proctor forget the commandment forbidding adultery?
a. He has a guilty conscience.
b. He has never properly learned the commandments.
c. He believes that it is an unjust commandment.
d. He is afraid of revealing his own sin.
____ 25. When Rebecca Nurse is charged, Hale is troubled. What does he intend to point out by this allusion to the
story that the Devil was once an angel?
an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.

a. that people sometimes change as they get older

b. that even beauty is no indicator of goodness
c. the impossibility of determining God’s will
d. the powerful skills of deception the Devil has
____ 26. In anger, Proctor calls Hale “Pontius Pilate.” Proctor’s intention is to
a. imply that Hale shares pagan beliefs.
b. charge Hale with manufacturing evidence.
c. send Hale to the Bible for study and thought.
d. accuse Hale of doing injustice by doing nothing.
____ 27. What is implied about human nature by the number of accusations that are brought forth?
a. People are generally irresponsible and weak.
b. People who do not express their feelings openly cannot be trusted.
c. People are basically vengeful and cruel.
d. People want to find a scapegoat when things go wrong for them.
____ 28. Proctor believes that Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft because
a. Elizabeth treated Abigail harshly.
b. Abigail wants to punish Proctor for rejecting her.
c. Abigail fears that Elizabeth will denounce her for seducing Proctor.
d. Abigail wants to distract attention from the episode in the woods.
____ 29. What can the audience infer from Judge Hathorne’s questioning of Martha Corey at the beginning of Act III?
a. The court is determined to uncover the truth at any cost.
b. Martha Corey’s love of reading is the source of the accusations against her.
c. The court presumes that anyone accused of witchcraft is guilty.
d. Even the most respected citizens have come under suspicion.
____ 30. Hathorne’s comments to Giles Corey and Francis Nurse imply that he wants to arrest them because
a. he believes they are challenging his authority.
b. they are trying to introduce improperly obtained evidence.
c. he considers them to be unprincipled and reckless.
d. they have slandered Thomas Putnam.
____ 31. Francis Nurse tells the judges that the girls are frauds. Hathorne’s response is, “This is contempt, sir,
contempt!” What is this an example of?
a. verbal irony c. Sarcasm
b. dramatic irony d. Foreshadowing
____ 32. What is Proctor’s main purpose in bringing Mary Warren to court?
a. to strengthen her character
b. to discredit Reverend Parris
c. to save his wife from condemnation
d. to demonstrate the illegality of the court’s proceedings
____ 33. During the presentation of the evidence, Proctor’s behavior toward Danforth can best be described as
a. crafty. c. evasive.
b. defiant. d. respectful.
____ 34. Which character represents the tactic of making personal attacks on the integrity of witnesses?
a. Herrick c. Hathorne
b. Danforth d. Parris
____ 35. Which type of figure is represented by Ezekiel Cheever?
a. the witness who uses the investigation as an instrument of personal vengeance
b. the witness who suffers for his refusal to incriminate others
c. the naive witness who harms others by cooperating in an unjust process
d. the public figure who misuses the power of office
____ 36. Why is Parris’s charge of conspiracy effective?
a. It gives a plausible explanation for the divisions in the parish.
b. It appeals to Danforth’s fears of subversion.
c. It feeds Danforth’s sense of his own importance.
d. It plays on Danforth’s personal antagonism to ward Giles Corey and Francis Nurse.
____ 37. What motivates Hale’s attempt to intervene on behalf of Proctor?
a. Hale’s admiration for the Proctors
b. Hale’s commitment to the truth
c. Hale’s questioning of Danforth’s integrity
d. Hale’s dislike of Parris
____ 38. What development causes Mary Warren to recant her confession and rejoin Abigail and the other girls?
a. John Proctor’s confession of his relationship with Abigail
b. Judge Danforth’s persistent questions
c. the confusion about Elizabeth Proctor’s “poppets”
d. Abigail’s pretending to be attacked by Mary’s spirit
____ 39. Why is the phrase “out of her infinite charity” in the following passage an example of verbal irony?
MARY WARREN, screaming at him: No, I love God; I go your way no more. I love God, I bless God.
Sobbing, she rushes to ABIGAIL. Abby, Abby, I’ll never hurt you more! They all watch, as ABIGAIL,
out of her infinite charity, reaches out and draws the sobbing MARY to her, and then looks up to
DANFORTH.

a. It contradicts the audience’s knowledge about Abigail’s true nature.

b. It presents a piece of information of which the audience is not aware.
c. It emphasizes Abigail’s ability to be forgiving under stress.
d. It reveals Abigail’s weakening condition.
____ 40. Which of the following is a consequence of Mary’s going back to the side of the girls?
a. Abigail accuses Mary of being in the Devil’s service.
b. Proctor is arrested.
c. Reverend Hale accuses Mary of being a fraud.
d. Marshal Herrick leads Mary away to recover from her ordeal.
____ 41. What does Proctor mean when he tells Danforth, “God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will
burn together”?
a. We who commit wrongs knowingly are the most guilty of all.
b. The whole community will suffer damnation for the injustices being committed here.
c. Danforth will suffer damnation if he condemns Proctor to death.
d. Although women are accused of witchcraft, men are greater sinners.
____ 42. Which of the following pairs of categories would not be useful for organizing the characters in Act III?
a. Christians and non-Christians
b. accusers and accused
c. believers in witchcraft and nonbelievers in witchcraft
d. liars and truth tellers
____ 43. What character does not fit into one of these categories: accuser, accused, court official?
a. John Proctor c. Reverend Hale
b. Mary Warren d. Giles Corey
____ 44. The setting of Act IV is
a. Parris’s house, where the investigation began.
b. the Salem jail, the autumn after the trial.
c. the prison in Andover, just before the Proctors’ child is due.
d. Danforth’s chambers in Boston, where he hears final appeals.
____ 45. Parris hopes that Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor will confess because he believes that
a. confession will save their souls from damnation.
b. sparing their lives will prevent public rebellion.
c. their confessions will confirm the justice of all the trials and executions.
d. their confessions will strengthen the faith of doubting parishioners.
____ 46. What idea about the law is conveyed by Danforth’s determination to proceed with the executions
immediately?
a. Judges tend to be corrupted by the power of their office.
b. To delay doing justice is to commit injustice.
c. Laws made by human beings cannot be reconciled with divine law.
d. Injustice may be committed in the name of the law.
____ 47. Danforth treats Parris with contempt because
a. he sees that Parris is motivated by fear for his own safety and reputation.
b. he thinks that Parris was a fool to trust Abigail Williams.
c. he sees that Parris cares more for wealth than for the spiritual welfare of his parish.
d. he thinks that Parris values mercy over justice.
____ 48. What is ironic about calling the confessions of witchcraft “coming to God”?
a. The confessions are made publicly, not in prayer.
b. The confessions are lies and therefore sins against God.
c. The confessions confirm that sins against God have been committed.
d. Confession saves the confessor from death, thereby postponing the confessor’s “coming to
God.”
____ 49. What lesson has Elizabeth Proctor learned during her three months’ imprisonment?
a. that all people carry the seeds of evil within themselves
b. that human beings cannot be held responsible for their actions
c. that one should not judge human frailty too harshly
d. that there are no meaningful standards of right and wrong
____ 50. Why does Hale want Proctor to confess to witchcraft?
a. to save Proctor from execution
b. to save others accused of witchcraft
c. to prevent public disorder
d. to allow Proctors’ family to keep his property
____ 51. When Proctor refuses to condemn others to save himself, his behavior contrasts most strongly with the
behavior of
a. Parris. c. Danforth.
b. Hathorne. d. Corey.
____ 52. The climax of Act IV occurs when
a. Parris reveals that Abigail Williams has disappeared.
b. Elizabeth Proctor is brought into the cell.
c. Proctor decides to confess to witchcraft.
d. Proctor refuses to sign the confession.
____ 53. Which theme is reflected by Proctor’s decision to tear up the confession?
a. Personal honor determines the worth of one’s self.
b. Government authority can be resisted single-handedly.
c. Forgiveness can be extended to the guilty as well as the innocent.
d. The variability of justice is an evil in itself.
____ 54. Proctor’s determination to preserve his good name speaks to the McCarthy era of the 1950’s in that
a. fear of persecution caused many to keep silent.
b. laws were passed to prevent this kind of persecution.
c. the Salem authorities act like communists.
d. reputations were ruined by irresponsible accusations.
____ 55. A theme represented by Danforth’s behavior is that
a. good and evil must finally be determined by law.
b. those in power tend to act in the interest of preserving power.
c. the absence of evidence renders authority powerless.
d. legal systems cannot take personal character into account.
____ 56. After Proctor is taken off to execution, Parris urges Elizabeth to go to her husband in order to
a. comfort him in his final moments.
b. try once more to persuade him to confess.
c. show that she believes the death sentence is just.
d. make a last appeal to the mercy of the judges.
____ 57. Which idea about the play is applicable today?
a. Superstitions of colonial America are no longer an issue.
b. Belief in the supernatural is ipso facto dangerous.
c. Government is overly concerned with religious issues.
d. Fear and suspicion can lead to perversions of justice.

The Crucible
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. C
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. A
6. D
7. A
8. C
9. B
10. B
11. C
12. B
13. D
14. C
15. C
16. A
17. B
18. D
19. C
20. B
21. A
22. B
23. C
24. A
25. D
26. D
27. D
28. B
29. C
30. A
31. B
32. C
33. D
34. D
35. C
36. B
37. B
38. D
39. A
40. B
41. A
42. A
43. C
44. B
45. C
46. D
47. A
48. B
49. C
50. A
51. A
52. D
53. A
54. D
55. B
56. B
57. D