The Crucible​: Conformity and Rebellion Unit Exam 

 
 
Background Information Section 
 
1. The author of ​The Crucible​, Arthur Miller, wrote the play to draw parallels 
between the Salem Witch trials and what other historical event? 
a. The Watergate scandal 
b. Senator McCarthy’s hunt for communists 
c. The stock market crash of 1929 
d. The Vietnam War 
 
 
2. Which event happened the same year that Miller was called to testify before 
the House Un-American Activities Committee? 
a. All My Sons​ won the Pulitzer Prize 
b. Miller’s son Daniel was born 
c. Miller married Marilyn Monroe 
d. Miller’s conviction for contempt was overturned 
 
 
3. What is a crucible? 
a. A heat-resistant container in which ores or metals are melted 
b. A severe personal test, trial, or ordeal 
c. A type of science experiment 
d. A dramatic, allegorical play 
 
 
4. In his introduction to the play, how does Miller explain what really motivated 
the people of Salem to accuse their neighbors, friends, and relatives of 
witchcraft? 
a. He gives a detailed description of their devout religion 
b. Miller explains that everyone in Salem was motivated by vengeance 
c. He talks about the Red Scare and McCarthyism 
d. Miller relates the play to ​The Scarlet Letter  
 
 
5. Which of the following images makes up the dominant motif of “Sinners in 
the Hands of an Angry God?” 
 a. A squashed spider 
b. A fiery abyss 
c. A broken thread 
d. A serpent  
 
 
 
The Crucible ​Section 
 
Match the following characters from the word bank to the correct descriptions. 
Note that not all characters will be used.  
 
Reverend Parris Tituba Mary Warren Abigail Williams John Proctor
Betty Parris Elizabeth Proctor Reverend Hale
Rebecca Nurse Ezekiel Cheever Giles Corey Sarah Good 
 
 
6. He is a man appointed by the court to help in arresting the accused witches 
_________________ ​(Ezekiel Cheever)  
7. John’s wife who discovers the truth about her husband and Abigail 
_________________ ​(Elizabeth Proctor) 
8. He is a minister brought in from out of town to investigate the accusations of 
witchcraft _______________ ​(Reverend John Hale) 
9. Does not attend Rev. Parris’s church anymore because he does not agree 
with the way he preaches and does business in the church 
_______________​ (John Proctor) 
10. She is the 17 year old niece of Rev. Parris, and the main girl who accuses 
people of being witches in Salem ______________ ​(Abigail Williams) 
11. The ten year old daughter of the Reverend who was caught by her father in 
the woods ____________ ​(Betty Harris)  
 
 
12. Who said the following quote?: "You think it's God's work you should never 
lose a child, not a grandchild either, and I bury all but one?" 
a. Mrs. Putnam 
b. Elizabeth Proctor 
c. Abigail Williams 
d. Reverend Hale 
 
 13. Who said the following quote?: "Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge 
of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some 
terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you" 
a. Betty Harris 
b. Tituba 
c. Abigail Williams 
d. Susanna Walcott 
 
14. Who said the following quote?: "I do think I see some shred of goodness in 
John Proctor. Not enough weave a banner with, but enough to keep it from 
such dogs. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a 
stony heart and sink them with it!" 
a. Reverend Hale 
b. John Proctor 
c. Abigail Williams 
d. Elizabeth Proctor 
 
15. What were Abigail and the girls doing in the forest when Reverend Parris saw 
them? 
a. Dancing as Tituba chanted around the fire 
b. Foraging for herbs and berries for their potions 
c. Exploring the woods, where they are never allowed to go 
d. Running away from their parents 
 
16. What is Abigail’s main motivation in her accusations? 
a. To get her friends in trouble 
b. To leave her abusive family 
c. To be with John Proctor 
d. To get to know Judge Danforth 
 
 
17. Why is Parris so worried about the evidence of witchcraft being discovered 
in his own house? 
a. Because he knows Abigail’s family very well 
b. Because his daughter was involved 
c. Because he is the minister and is afraid the evidence would harm his 
reputation 
d. Because he does not want to have any trouble with the law 
 
 18. Which character from ​The Crucible​ says the following quote: “He have his 
goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”? 
a. Reverend Hale 
b. Judge Danforth 
c. Abigail Williams 
d. Elizabeth Proctor 
 
19. In ​The Crucible,​ Tituba ​most likely​ confessed to meeting with the devil 
because she… 
a. Wanted to please Reverend Parris 
b. Wanted the villagers to be afraid of her 
c. Did not want Abigail to get into trouble 
d. Thought it might save her life 
 
 
20.How does Abigail turn the court against Mary Warren? 
a. She pretends that Mary turned into a bird 
b. She gives a detailed account of how Mary convinced her to go to the 
forest 
c. She says that Mary murdered someone 
d. She shows them Mary’s spell book 
 
Short Answer 
 
21. What is significant about the poppet Cheever finds in Act II? Answer in a 
complete sentence. 
 
22. Reverend Hale asks John to recite the Ten Commandments but he forgets 
one of them. Which commandment does he forget and why is that significant 
to the play? Answer in two to three complete sentences.  
 
23. Proctor calls Hale “Pontius Pilate.” Explain this allusion and argue whether it 
is an appropriate allusion in three to five complete sentences.  
 
24. In a well-supported paragraph answer the following question: People are 
often followers and will go along with other people. Why do people follow 
others even if they know what they are doing is wrong? Connect this to ​The 
Crucible​ and the themes of Conformity and Rebellion. 
 
25. As a socially conscious writer, Arthur Miller intended this play to comment 
on the political unrest of the time (Watergate, Red Scare, McCarthyism, etc). 
What are the parallels between the incidents Miller dramatizes and events 
lead by government officials in the 1950s? Offer at least two parallels and and 
fully explain them in a well-supported paragraph.