The Crucible Quizzes

The Crucible Quiz 1

By Jeremy Ross · Edited by Elizabeth Weinbloom · Last reviewed June 15, 2008

1 Why does Abigail Williams live with Reverend Parris?

She is his niece.

She is his servant.

She is his illegitimate daughter.

She is having an affair with him.
2 Which of these characters is not condemned for witchery?

Rebecca Nurse

Bridget Bishop

Giles Corey

John Proctor
3 Why does Reverend Parris wish to spare Proctor?

He fears for his life if a respected man is hanged.

He wants to have revenge against Abigail.

He wishes to tear down the court.

He is convinced that Proctor is innocent.
4 "The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone." What is the significance of this line?

It foreshadows Giles Corey's death by stoning.

It is ironic, for Reverend Hale is using ambiguous marks to define the devil's presence.

It shows that Mary Warren is a prideful girl who thinks herself the superior of the Proctors.

It is a veiled threat that Reverend Parris uses against Proctor for opposing him.
5 Which of the following did not occur during the dancing?

Mercy Lewis danced naked.

Abigail Williams drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor.

Susanna Walcott murdered a frog and a rabbit for Tituba's spell.

Tituba attempted to conjure Ruth Putnam's sisters.
6 "More weight." What of the following is not significant about this line?

Giles chooses his death, sacrificing himself to spare others.

Because Giles dies by refusing to answer questions, he is not excommunicated and dies a Christian.

Danforth erroneously believes that Giles will admit to witchery if placed under greater torture.

Elizabeth mentions this to John as he decides whether or not to admit to witchcraft, serving as an example of a friend who sacrificed himself for a greater good.
7 Which of the following characters does not support John Proctor's decision to falsely admit to witchcraft?

Reverend Hale

Elizabeth Proctor

Deputy Governor Danforth

Reverend Parris
8 Why do many of the accused admit to witchcraft?

They are forced to admitting to witchcraft under duress and torture.

By admitting to witchcraft they can accuse others of the same crime.

They are actually witches.

By admitting to witchcraft they guarantee that they will not be executed.
9 Which of the following is not a complaint that Proctor has against Reverend Parris?

Parris demands too much compensation, such as the right to his house.

Parris focuses on hell and damnation in his services.

Parris wastes the church money on extravagant items.

Parris reaches out for land at the expense of his neighbors
10 "Your justice would freeze beer." To whom does this line refer?

Elizabeth Proctor

Deputy Governor Danforth

Reverend Parris

Thomas Putnam
11 What grudge do the Putnams not have against the Nurses?

The Nurses own land that the Putnams covet.

Rebecca Nurse has never lost a child nor grandchild, while Mrs. Putnam has lost all but one of her children.

The Nurses opposed the Putnams' choice for minister.

The Nurses and their allies broke away from Salem to form a new community.
12 What does the commandment that Proctor forgets concern?

Adultery

Lying

Blasphemy

Murder
13 "What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad?" What is the significance of this line?

It is ironic, for the speaker is a lost soul charging others with villainy.

It foreshadows the eventual charges against respectable citizens such as Rebecca Nurse.

It foreshadows Mr. Putnam's charges against George Jacobs.

It shows that Reverend Parris suspects everybody of witchcraft.
14 What is the likely reason that Old Giles cannot say his prayers?

His wife's reading blocks him from saying his prayers.

He is forgetful and barely knows his prayers.

Rebecca Nurse sent her spirit out against him.

He is easily frightened.
15 "Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small." What is the significance of this line?

It shows that any person may be suspected of witchcraft for any small fault.

It shows that Reverend Hale is invariably fixed on minor details.

It shows the arrogance of the court in believing itself infallible.

It shows the hypocrisy of Reverend Parris, who himself has major flaws.
16 "The Crucible" is an allegorical tale that relates most strongly to which contemporary event for Arthur Miller?

The McCarthy hearings

The Nuremberg trials

The Holocaust

The Starr report
17 Which of the following is not evidence used by Hale against the Proctors?

The failure of their children to be baptised.

John's affair with Abigail Williams

The Proctor's absence from church.

Mary Warren's poppet
18 Which of the following is not matched to the person whom he/she accuses of witchcraft?

Ann Putnam: Rebecca Nurse

Betty Parris: George Jacobs

Tituba : Sarah Good

Abigail Williams : Elizabeth Proctor
19 Which character in the play is compared to Pontius Pilate?

Reverend Samuel Parris

Thomas Putnam

Reverend John Hale

Giles Corey
20 Which of the following is not matched to their motive for promoting the witchcraft trials?

Thomas Putnam : greed

Abigail Williams : lust

Samuel Parris : paranoia

John Hathorne : superstition
21 What is the significant about Danforth's support for Proctor's confession?

It shows that he will bend the rules whenever it suits him.

It shows that he knows that there are no witches in Salem.

It shows that he has turned against Putnam and Parris.

It shows that his interest is in preserving the court and not in actual justice.
22 Which character proclaims that Abigail Williams should be "ripped out of the world"?

John Proctor

John Hale

Samuel Parris

Elizabeth Proctor
23 Which line best represents Elizabeth Proctor's view in the trials?

"The shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it."

"Remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven."

"If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning."

"I cannot think the Devil may own a woman's soul when she keeps an upright way."
24 What is significant about Giles Corey's charge against Thomas Putnam?

It is ironic, for Giles Corey charges Thomas Putnam with a crime for which Corey is guilty.

It illustrates the theme of the novel of passing blame from one character to another.

It illustrates the theme of the obscure division between public and private.

It is ironic, for Giles Corey is condemned for giving evidence that is hearsay, while equally invalid evidence is used to condemn persons for witchcraft.
25 What is the significance of the line "before the laws of God we are as swine! We cannot read his will."

This demonstrates Proctor's contempt for the intellectual abilities of men.

This is ironic, for Danforth believes that we can read God's will, or else he would not condemn people for witchcraft.

This demonstrates the change in Reverend Hale, for at the beginning of the play he believed that he could ascertain any supernatural phenomenon.

When Elizabeth argues this, it shows that she does not want John to confess.

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