The Crucible Act 1

4. Why does Mrs Putnam believe there are witches in Salem.

Because only one survived out of all her children

11. Identify Francis and Rebecca Nurse.

Goody Nurse is kind and gentle. She is married to Francis and she helped deliver some of the Putnam babies. Francis nurse is a well-respected, old and wise, level-headed man.

5. Why is Thomas Putnam bitter

He didn't get to be the minister in Salem and his cousin was supposed to be Reverend*

6. Parris says "Oh Abigail, what proper payment for my charity! Now I am undone!" What does that mean?

He is frustrated with Abby because he took her into his home and she is destroying his reputation.

18. Giles says, " Think on it now, it's a deep thing, and dark as a pit." To what is he referring literally and symbolically?

Literally, he referring to everybody not getting along. Symbolically he's saying that their system of theocracy isn't working.

7. What is Mary's argument to Abby?

Mary said if they turn themselves in now, their punishment may be less than if the lies get out of hand.

3a. Identify Tituba

Paris's slave from Barbados

2. Explain how the witch hunt years were a time of revenge.

People accused whoever they were jealous of.

8. Describe Proctor.

Proctor is even-tempered, authoritative, confident, but likes his women.

20. Who is Rev. John Hale, and why does he come to Salem?

Reverend Hale is a supposed expert in witchcraft. Reverend Parris requested that Reverend Hale come to Salem to investigate suspected witchcraft that may have affected his daughter Betty Parris.

3c. Identify Betty

Reverend Paris's daughter. She was "under a spell"

22. To what did Tituba confess? Why?

She confessed she was a witch who had dealt with the Devil, but she only claimed this in order that they might spare her life.

10. What was the sign that Betty was bewitched?

She screamed at the sound of the Lords name.

14. What is Rebecca's explanation of the girls' behavior?

She thinks the girls are doing this for attention and that they are being nothing more than silly children.

13. What did Rebecca Nurse do to Betty?

She tried to wake her up and calm her down. She succeeded.

17. What does Parris want?

The deed to his house and the firewood in addition to his salary.

16. What is Proctor's reason for his not regularly attending church?

The pastor only talks about money

12. Explain the political relationship between the Putnam and Nurse families.

There was a land dispute over the Putnam-Nurse border. (The Putnam's were in error.)

21. Hale says "They [the books] must be [heavy]; they are weighted with authority." What is the significance of his remark?

These books may take precedence over the Bible.

1. So now they and their church found it necessary to deny any other sect its freedom, lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted by wrong and deceitful ideas." What is the irony in this statement?

They are taking away other people's religious freedom just like the English took theirs.

19. What do Putnam and Proctor argue about? What does this show?

They argue about land disputes. This shows how Putnam is greedy for land.

23. What do the girls do at the end of Act One.

They began to name the names of people who had "walked with the Devil" to get revenge on people that they didn't like.

9. What happened between Abigail.

They had an affair.

15."There are wheels within wheels in this village and fires within fires." Explain.

This means that there are problems on top of problems that are getting worse in the villge

3b. Identify Abigail.

a leader of the girls. Former servant/mistress of John Proctor. Wants Elizabeth dead. Reverend Parris's niece.