THE CRUCIBLEAct 1 Quiz Review

What does the word crucible mean? What kind of play does the title lead you to expect?

A container made of a substance that can resist great heat for melting; The hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace, where the molten melt; A severe test or trial

A play on hardships and trials a single individual or group faces.

In Act 1 Miller includes expository asides or commentaries. In the first aside what does Miller say about the Puritans’ view of the forest around them? What does he mean when he

calls the Puritan society a theocracy?

Miller describes the Purtians’ view of the forest as an evil place ruled by the Devil.

Theocracy means they have a God-centered society

What is the setting for the play?

Salem, Massachusetts, 1692

Why is Rev. Parris so upset at the beginning of the act? Why

has he sent for Rev. Hale? Betty has became ill, and wants Rev. Hale

to confirm her illness to see if it’s related to possible witchcraft.

What did Parris see in the forest?

His daughter and niece dancing. A naked woman running through the

trees.

What are Abigail’s past connections to the Proctors?

A house maid and caretaker

What information about Putnam does Miller tell us in the expository aside? What does Ann Putnam claim

happened to her babies?

He is a greedy man with many accusations against the people of Salem.

The babies were murdered by the midwife.

What were the girls actually doing in the forest? What

did Abigail drink? Dancing around a boiling pot casting

spells with Tituba to call upon Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters.

Chicken blood – a potion that was supposed to harm Elizabeth Proctor

What secret is John Proctor keeping from the rest of the

community? He had an affair with Abigail.

Before Hale arrives, what are some of the subjects of the men’s

petty disagreements? What problems do these arguments reveal about the Salem society

Assuming there’s witchcraft taking place in the town, calling for unexpected meetings, not mentioning God in church.

They are not all as Godly as they pretend to be, all have secrets

What according to Miller in his expository aside on pg. 19, is one flaw in the Christian view on the world? Consider how we tend to

view our political enemies during times of conflict.

He says that Christians tend to believe in diabolism- that all good things in the world are from ‘their side’ and all bad things are from evil (the devil). Anyone who disagrees with you must be evil.

According to the stage directions, how does Hale enter

for the first time? Loaded down with half a dozen heavy

books.

Miller often foreshadows his characterizations with a descriptive

phrase in the stage directions. In the stage directions what does he say

about each of the following characters: Abigail, Ann Putnam, and Mercy Lewis. Abigail: Nervous, scared, anxious,

cautious Ann Putnam: Satisfied, confident Mercy Lewis: Frightened, nervous

How is Hale’s interrogation of Tituba flawed?

He asks her questions in a way that he gives her ideas as to who to accuse of witchcraft (Goody Good and Goody Osborne).

Miller uses dialect for this play. What is one example?

Tituba: My Betty be hearty soon?

One of Millers major subjects in this play is authority. How do the following characters represent a

type of authority? (Parris, Putnam, Hale, Rebecca Nurse)

Parris: Minister of the Salem church. Putnam: A greedy wealthy citizen of

Salem. Hale: Minister and expert on witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse: Well respected woman of

Salem who many look up to.

How would you describe the mood at the end of Act one? What might this foreshadow

about future events in Salem? Overwhelming, we just learned of several

community members of Salem that were said to be influenced by the devil.