Crucible Acts II & III

Consider the course of the plot and the characters' choices and actions in Act III of The Crucible. Which of the following does playwright Arthur Miller appear to regard as the worst crime? Which of the following story elements best conveys your answer?

Betraying a friend or loved one to save oneself The play's sympathetic characters all risk punishment to protect other people.

In Act III of The Crucible, what happens as a result of Proctor's submission of the written testament of people who support the accused women?

Danforth orders arrest warrants drawn up so that they can be examined.

In Act II of The Crucible, John Proctor tells Mary Warren, "It's strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women." What is he most likely implying about Mary's behavior?

It is hypocritical.

In Act III of The Crucible, which character employs arguments that are merely personal attacks on the integrity of witnesses?

Parris

According to Act III of The Crucible, which of the following describes Abigail's most likely motivation for accusing Elizabeth? Which line of dialogue from Act III best supports your answer?

She wants to see Elizabeth hanged so that Proctor and she can be together. Proctor: She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave!

Which statement best describes the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor in the opening scene of Act II of The Crucible?

They care about each other but seem ill at ease and not fully reconciled.

What is the setting of Act II of The Crucible?

the home of John and Elizabeth Proctor

In Act II of The Crucible, John Proctor claims to know the source of all the problems in Salem. Whom or what does he blame? Which excerpt from Act II provides the best example to your answer?

vengeance Giles: That bloody mongrel Walcott charge her. Y'see, he buy a pig of my wife... and the pig died soon after. So he come dancin' in for his money back. So my Martha, she says to him. "Walcott, if you haven't the wit to feed a pig properly, you'll not live to own many," she says. Now he goes to court and claims that from that day to this he cannot keep a pig alive... because my Martha bewitch them....

In Act III of The Crucible, what causes Mary Warren to recant her confession and rejoin Abigail and the other girls?

Abigail's pretending to be attacked by the yellow bird

What is the most likely connection between the needle found in the poppet and the needle discovered in Abigail's belly?

Abigail, observing Mary Warren sewing the poppet next to her in court, puts a needle in her own belly in order to cast suspicion on either Proctor and his wife, or both.

In Act II of The Crucible, what does Elizabeth mean when she tells John, "The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you?"

He carries the knowledge of his own guilt.

When Hale appears at the Proctors' door in Act II of The Crucible, he is described as "different now--drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now." What internal conflict accounts for this change?

He feels guilty for allowing events in Salem to spiral out of control.

What does the indirect characterization in Act III of The Crucible suggest most clearly about Ezekiel Cheever's personality?

He is a naive person who harms others by cooperating in an unjust process.

Which inference about Judge Hathorne's personality is best supported by the way he questions Martha Corey at the beginning of Act III of The Crucible?

He is dogmatic and seems to presume that an accusation of witchcraft is proof of guilt.

In Act II of The Crucible, what is most clearly Reverend Hale's reason for visiting the Proctor's?

He wants to gather information about the Proctors to make his personal evaluation of them.

In The Crucible, Act III, what does Proctor mean when he tells Danforth, "God dams our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together"?

People who commit wrongs knowingly are the most guilty of all.

John Proctor engages in external conflicts with several characters in Act II of The Crucible, including his wife, Elizabeth. Which best describes the main source of strife between them? Which excerpt from Act II best illustrates your answer above?

Proctor's past relationship with Abigail Proctor: No more! I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion. But I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed!

Which stage of the plot's dramatic arc is best illustrated by these lines from Act II of the Crucible? Mary Warren, in terror: I cannot, they'll turn on me--Proctor strides and catches her, and she is repeating, "I cannot. I cannot!" Proctor: My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me! Mary Warren, struggling to escape him: I cannot do it. I cannot! Proctor, grasping her by the throat as though he would strangle her: Make your peace with it! Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away--make your peace!

rising action

Which of the following best describes Reverend Hale, based on his interview with John Proctor in Act II of The Crucible? Which excerpt from Act II best supports the answer?

steadfast in his belief in his work of exiling the Devil Hale: Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that have confessed to dealing with the Devil. They have confessed it.

What is Proctor's main purpose in bringing Mary Warren to court in Act III of The Crucible?

to save his wife from condemnation

In Act II of The Crucible, why does Proctor think that Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft?

Abigail wants to get revenge on Proctor for rejecting her.

Which factor most clearly explains Hale's attempt to intervene on behalf of Proctor in Act III of The Crucible?

Hale's commitment to the truth

Which sentence best explains why Danforth responds so angrily to Hale's point of view in the following passage from Act III of The Crucible? Hale: There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country--... Danforth: angered now: Reproach me not with the fear in the country; there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country! Hale: But it does not follow that everyone accused is part of it. Danforth: No uncorrupted man may fear this court. Mr. Hale! None! Which of the following statements by Danforth best supports your answer?

Danforth identifies himself with the court, so he takes Hale's comments as an attack on his integrity. Mr. Hale, you surely do not doubt my justice.

In Act III of The Crucible, when Francis Nurse is horrified at Proctor's confession of adultery with Abigail, Proctor says, "Oh. Francis, I wish you had some evil in you that you might know me!" Which of the following best explains this meaning?

He wishes that Nurse had flaws that would help him understand and forgive flaws in others.