The Crucible

Act I, Scene 1

READING CHECK

1. What is the system of government in Salem in the time the play is set?

Answer: theocracy

2. Parris asks Abigail about being dismissed from her servant job. Who dismissed her?

Answer: Elizabeth Proctor

3. According to Putnam, how can Parris avoid suspicion of witchcraft in his house?

Answer: Claim that he (Parris) discovered it there himself

4. How does Abigail try to convince Ruth and Mary Warren to stick to their story?

Answer: She threatens to hurt or kill them.

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to introduce discussion on Abigail’s multifaceted character. Over the course of the scene, how does her demeanor change, and around what other characters? What are her internal motivations and goals? Explore lines in the text that provide indirect characterization clues about Abby’s true nature.

5. According to Betty, whom did Abigail conjure spirits to kill?

Answer: Elizabeth Proctor

6. According to Ann Putnam, Betty grows hysterical when she hears what?

Answer: The Lord’s name in the psalm

7. Who questions John Proctor’s land ownership and reminds the room that he doesn’t attend church?

Answer: Thomas Putnam

8. Shortly after Hale’s arrival, which characters openly accuse others of consorting with the devil?

Answer: Tituba, Abigail, and Betty

QUIZ

1. In the face of her uncle’s questions, how does Abigail explain her inability to find work?

A) She says villagers only hire young men and older women.

B) She says villagers rely on family and don’t need hired servants.

C) She says villagers prefer to keep slaves, not someone like her.

D) She says villagers do not trust her because she is an orphan.

2. Before the Putnams arrive, what does Abigail admit to her uncle that she, Tituba, and the girls did in the forest?

A) Tituba sang and the girls danced.

B) Tituba conjured spirits and the girls saw them.

C) Tituba described the girls’ future husbands.

D) Tituba convinced the girls that Betty could fly, and Betty tried.

3. Alone with Proctor, Abigail brings up their adulterous affair. What message does Proctor’s reply convey?

A) He loves Abigail but cannot leave Elizabeth as long as she is sickly.

B) Their affair was a sinful mistake, and he intends to leave Salem.

C) He might continue the affair after Elizabeth dies but cannot expect Abigail to wait.

D) He will stay loyal to Elizabeth, and Abigail should pretend the affair never happened.

4. Which of these best encapsulates Rebecca Nurse’s opinion of the goings-on in Salem at the start of the play?

A) Betty will come around on her own; talk of witchcraft will only lead to dissension among Salem’s inhabitants.

B) Betty should be punished; Reverend Hale’s time cannot be wasted by silly young girls.

C) Betty and the other girls should be questioned about Tituba; witchcraft in Salem is unlikely but possible.

D) Betty is in grave danger; they should bring in additional clergy and physicians immediately.

5. What concern does Giles Corey express to Hale about his wife Martha’s books?

A) He cannot work when she leaves them out.

B) He cannot eat after she consults them. 

C) He cannot sleep at night when she refers to them.

D) He cannot pray when she reads them.

6. When Abigail panics under Hale’s questioning in Act 1, Scene 1, whom does she accuse of leading her to sinful actions?

A) Betty

B) Tituba

C) Parris

D) Proctor

7. Why is Goody Ann concerned that witchcraft already existed in Salem, even before her daughter Ruth got sick?

8. What objects does Hale bring with him to Salem?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. C. Abigail tells Parris the villagers “want slaves, not such as I.” Parris cannot dispute this effectively, as he himself owns Tituba, a slave.

2. A. Abigail insists early in the scene to Parris that Tituba sang her Barbados songs while she and the other girls danced. Later, she seems to change the story to include Tituba conjuring Ruth’s dead sisters; she instructs Mary Warren, Betty, and Mercy Lewis to confirm this story.

3. D. Proctor admits to thinking “softly” of Abigail occasionally, but he insists he is now loyal to Elizabeth. He wants Abigail to drop the idea of the affair, telling her, “We never touched, Abby.”

4. A. Rebecca thinks Betty will wake “in time” and worries that this conflict will stir up the contention between different groups in Salem.

5. D. Giles says he could not say his prayers the previous night while Martha was reading, but when she stopped, he could pray again.

6. B. Abigail accuses Tituba of making her drink from the kettle, drink blood, and laugh at prayer.

7. Goody Ann lost seven babies and is convinced that witchcraft was the cause.

8. He brings books that are “weighted with authority” about the devil and evil spirits.

Act I, Scene 2

READING CHECK

1. Elizabeth tells Proctor that, to escape execution, those accused of witchcraft must do what?

Answer: confess to it, then name other witches

2. Elizabeth is upset when Proctor admits to being alone for a short time with whom?

Answer: Abigail

3. According to Mary Warren, what proof did the court see that Goody Osburn, a woman of ill repute, was indeed a witch?

Answer: She could not recite her Commandments.

4. How does Mary Warren respond when Proctor orders her to stay at home instead of attend court?

Answer: Mary defies him, saying she must do her important work as “an official of the court.”

5. What does Elizabeth believe Abigail wants with regard to her (Elizabeth) and Proctor?

Answer: Elizabeth believes Abigail wants her dead so that Abigail can marry Proctor.

6. Who arrives at the Proctor house claiming to seek information on the character of the villagers?

Answer: Reverend Hale

7. Whom does Mary Warren fear will turn on her when Proctor demands she go to court?

Answer: Abigail and the other accusing girls

QUIZ

1. The mood between Proctor and Elizabeth in their dialogue when he comes home from the fields can best be described as which of these?

A) somber, then anxious

B) disbelieving, then shocked

C) peaceful, then confrontational

D) strained, then contentious

2. Mary Warren avoids a whipping by claiming to have saved which character?

A) John Proctor

B) Sarah Good

C) Elizabeth Proctor

D) Rebecca Nurse

3. When Hale questions Proctor’s absence from church, which of these best describes Proctor’s reasons?

A) He cannot reconcile Parris’s hypocritical desire for material goods.

B) He cannot understand the vocabulary and message of Parris’s sermons.

C) He cannot rationalize Parris’s choice to own slaves in his household.

D) He cannot forgive Parris for accusing him publicly of adulterous behavior.

4. The evidence against Elizabeth that Cheever finds in the Proctor home is what object?

A) a Bible with a missing page

B) a book with strange passages

C) a doll with a needle stuck in it

D) a dress with coins in the pocket

5. By the time Cheever leaves the Proctor house, which characters are newly suspected and/or arrested for witchcraft?

A) Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren, Rebecca Nurse

B) Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse

C) Martha Corey, Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis

D) Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Osburn, Mary Warren

6. Which one of the Ten Commandments does Proctor fail to recall?

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to jumpstart a lesson on irony. Why is Proctor’s missing Commandment ironic? How is it further ironic that Elizabeth helps him remember it? What type of irony best explains this moment: verbal, situational, or dramatic? Explore other moments in the play so far that showcase the different types of irony.

7. What does Proctor reveal to Hale at Elizabeth’s prompting that greatly disturbs Hale?

8. What does Mary Warren reveal to Proctor after Elizabeth’s arrest that causes Proctor to no longer care about reputation?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. D. The mood while Proctor and Elizabeth discuss dinner and farm matters is tense and somewhat awkward, as his adultery continues to weigh heavily on both of them. When Elizabeth tells Proctor that she failed to keep Mary Warren home that day, the tone begins to turn prickly and contentious, resulting in an argument over Abigail’s lies and Proctor’s obligation to stop her.

2. C. Mary Warren reveals that Elizabeth’s name was “mentioned” in the court that day as a potential witch, but that she, Mary Warren, spoke up for Elizabeth.

3. A. Proctor explains to Hale that he “sees no light of God” in Parris and cites Parris’s hypocritical desire for golden candlesticks. Proctor is disgusted that Parris preached for the candlesticks for months.

4. C. Though Elizabeth immediately explains that Mary Warren brought the doll (the poppet) home just that day, the needle in it is enough “proof” for Cheever, as Abigail complained of a painful wound in her abdomen in court.

5. B. By the end of Act I, Scene 2, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey are accused and arrested. Cheever arrives to arrest Elizabeth. Goody Osburn is also imprisoned and will hang.

6. Proctor lists all the Commandments except for “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Elizabeth has to remind him of it.

7. Proctor reveals to Hale that Abigail told him (Proctor) that the girls’ “sportin’ in the woods” had “naught to do with witchcraft”—in other words, that the accusations are lies founded on nothing.

8. Mary Warren tells Proctor that she knows about his adulterous affair with Abigail, and that Abigail will “ruin” Proctor with the information if he appears to the court.

Act II, Scene 1

READING CHECK

1. Act II, Scene 1 is a brief scene between Proctor and Abigail. Where does it take place?

Answer: in the woods at night

2. According to Abigail, who showed her the true nature of the townspeople?

Answer: Proctor

QUIZ

1. In the scene with Abigail and Proctor before he goes to the court, Proctor claims to have documents that prove what?

A) Mary brought the stabbed poppet home.

B) Abigail coerced Tituba to tell fortunes.

C) Betty faked the illness that brought on accusations.

D) Abigail goes to the tavern for cider and shovelboard.

2. In the scene with Proctor before Proctor appears to the court, Abigail insists that Proctor will not do what in court?

A) confess to witchcraft

B) accuse Parris of greed

C) admit his adultery

D) explain his evidence

3. Of these, which thematic topic comes across most strongly in the scene between Proctor and Abigail before he goes to the court?

A) forgiveness

B) inferiority

C) nobility

D) hypocrisy

4. How does Abigail try to prove to Proctor that she suffers continuously from those who are witches in the town?

5. After Proctor threatens to reveal Abigail’s sin, what do Abigail’s parting words indicate?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. A. Proctor tells Abigail he has proof in documents that Mary Warren stabbed the poppet, and Abigail knew it was not Elizabeth’s.

2. C. Proctor tells Abigail he will admit their adulterous affair in court to save Elizabeth, but Abigail does not believe him.

3. D. Abigail rails against the hypocrisy of the townspeople, credits Proctor with showing her their hypocritical natures, and blames them for claiming Proctor to their side as a hypocrite as well.

4. She shows him her leg and arm and claims injuries to both. She also mentions the “jab” Elizabeth gave her that has not healed.

5. That Proctor still loves her and will get past these feelings of obligation to Elizabeth.

Act II, Scene 2

READING CHECK

1. Who enters the courtroom demanding to speak on behalf of their wives just before the arrival of Proctor and Mary Warren?

Answer: Giles Corey; Francis Nurse is with him

2. Danforth tells Proctor what news about Elizabeth?

Answer: She says she is pregnant.

3. Who offers a deposition against Thomas Putnam?

Answer: Giles Corey

4. With what does Abigail first accuse Mary Warren of torturing her in front of Danforth and Hathorne?

Answer: a cold wind

5. Whom does Danforth bring into the now-official court to prove or disprove Proctor’s admittance to lechery (adultery)?

Answer: Elizabeth

6. Whom does Mary Warren accuse of witchcraft, leading to that person’s immediate arrest?

Answer: John Proctor

QUIZ

1. Governor Danforth attempts to convince Proctor to drop his stance against the girls in exchange for what?

A) freeing Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey

B) sparing Elizabeth’s life for a year

C) relieving Hale of his duties

D) investigating Abigail and Tituba

2. What does the deposition brought to court by Proctor attest to?

A) the strong moral character of several accused women

B) Abigail’s lack of attendance at church services

C) townspeople’s opinions of Parris’s material nature

D) the congregation’s suspicions of the girls

3. Why is Giles Corey arrested for “contempt of court”?

A) speaking without permission to Danforth

B) refusing to tell evidence against his wife

C) accusing the girls of lying

D) protecting another townsperson

4. Danforth doubts Abigail’s moral character when Proctor reveals what event?

A) the girls’ dancing in the woods

B) Abigail’s attitude toward Elizabeth

C) Parris’s inability to discipline Abigail

D) Betty’s report of Tituba’s meetings

5. Why does Mary Warren recant her truthful story to Danforth?

A) Elizabeth’s lie about Proctor’s affair upsets her.

B) Parris convinces Danforth that Mary is in contempt of court.

C) Mary baits Proctor into confessing, intending to stay on Abigail’s side.

D) Abigail accuses Mary of sending a bird to attack her eyes.

6. What is Danforth’s decision regarding the deposition and the 91 people who signed it?

Discussion Suggestion: Danforth’s reaction to the deposition is very telling. Use the above question to launch a discussion on Danforth’s characterization, motivations, and objectives in this scene. What do readers learn about him both directly and indirectly?

7. After Proctor admits to adultery, what does he reveal about Abigail’s true motives?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. B. Danforth tells Proctor that Elizabeth will not be executed “this year, and a year is long” if he drops his accusation against the girls.

2. A. Ninety-one people signed a deposition attesting to the good, moral nature of Elizabeth, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse.

3. D. Giles refuses to tell the name of his informant regarding his deposition on Putnam.

4. A. Proctor hits a nerve when he reveals that Parris caught Abigail and the girls dancing in the dark woods; Danforth looks at Abigail “as though with new eyes.”

5. D. Abigail sends the court into chaos by leading the girls in falsely seeing a yellow bird and being afraid of Mary Warren’s ability to send her spirit out.

6. Danforth will investigate the 91 signers, not the deposition contents.

7. Proctor tells the court Abigail intends to murder Elizabeth in order to be with him (Proctor).

Act II, Scene 3

READING CHECK

1. What has happened in nearby Andover that some characters think may happen in Salem?

Answer: uprising (rebellion against the court)

2. Ultimately, what is Elizabeth’s advice to Proctor regarding whether he should confess?

Answer: He must decide for himself; she will not judge him no matter what he decides.

3. Who is brought into the cell to witness Proctor’s confession?

Answer: Rebecca Nurse

4. What does Proctor do with the confession after signing it?

Answer: He refuses to submit it and tears it up.

5. Who follows Proctor out of the cell, still trying to prevent Proctor’s hanging?

Answer: Parris

QUIZ

1. Abigail does not appear in the last scene. Where is her character?

A) She is in the court accusing additional Salem inhabitants of witchcraft.

B) She traveled to Boston in an effort to continue her work there.

C) She left Salem with Mercy Lewis and money she stole from Parris.

D) She went to the jail to encourage confessions from certain citizens.

2. Of these, which is the best description of Giles Corey’s death?

A) He confessed and accused others.

B) He refused to accuse anyone and hanged for it.

C) He accused others so that his wife would go free.

D) He refused confession and was executed.

3. At what point does Proctor ultimately decide that he is against confessing?

A) when Danforth insists on taking the signed confession from him

B) when Hathorne expects him to name others he saw with the Devil

C) when others are brought to see him verbally confess

D) when Elizabeth asks him to reconsider

4. Several characters in the play change by the end of the last scene. Which of these are dynamic characters (characters who experience change in traits, opinions, morals, etc.)?

A) Elizabeth, Danforth, Hathorne

B) Hale, Rebecca, Abigail

C) Parris, Hale, Danforth

D) Hale, Proctor, Parris

5. Which of these statements best describes Elizabeth’s and Hale’s stances in the final moments of the play?

A). Hale and Elizabeth agree that Proctor has decided and will not be swayed.

B) Hale wants Elizabeth to convince Proctor to confess; Elizabeth refuses.

C) Elizabeth considers asking Proctor to confess, but Hale changes her mind.

D) Neither Hale nor Elizabeth can bring Proctor to confess, though both tried.

6. What is Rebecca’s decision regarding her fate?

Discussion Suggestion: Rebecca appears only briefly in Act I and Act IV of the play, but her characterization is strongly depicted. Elaborating on the above question, as the class in what ways her decision regarding her fate reflects or contrasts with her character’s traits, actions, and opinions in earlier scenes.

7. What is Parris’s concern regarding the upcoming executions?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. C. Parris does not know where Abigail ran off to, only that his money was stolen.

2. D. Giles refuses to confess to witchcraft, and he is consequently pressed to death with heavy stones.

3. A. Proctor refuses to name others, but Danforth is willing to let that go. Danforth insists, however, that Proctor sign his name to the written confession with the intention that the townspeople see it displayed. Proctor signs, but he rips it up.

4. D. Hale changes in that he now believes lives should be saved, no matter what the lie is in confession. Parris has changed his opinion of the executions and begs Danforth and Proctor to avoid that day’s hangings. Proctor is ready to confess to a lie for the sake of his life, but he ultimately determines that despite his sins, his honesty and name are worth more than he’d thought.

5. B. Elizabeth remains steady in her opinion that Proctor must come to his own sense of goodness, even while Hale’s last lines attempt to convince her to influence Proctor.

6. She refuses to confess and will hang as a witch.

7. Because the court is executing upstanding, well-respected community members now, Parris is concerned about uprising and, consequently, his own safety (thanks to his role in the hearings).