THE CRUCIBLE ACT I STUDY GUIDE

What does Reverend Parris see in the forest?

The girls dancing and Tituba waving

What do the stage directions in the following lines tell you about Abigail Williams?

Parris: Child. Sit you down. Abigail ( quavering, as she sits). I would never hurt Betty. I love her dearly.

Her uncle, Reverend Parris, makes her nervous

Ann Putnam sends her daughter Ruth to Tituba to ...

speak to Ann's dead babies

You can draw the conclusion that Abigail Williams thinks she knows more about the world than the other women in the village know from

her conversation with John Proctor

Reverend Hale shows his education and authority by...

bringing books with him to Salem

Reverend Parris's main concern about his niece Abigail is that...

her actions will reflect badly on him

Further increasing the conflict in the plot of the drama is Thomas Putnam's insistence that...

insistence that witchcraft exists in Salem

What problem in Salem encourages the people to turn against each other?

Some people are quick to take offense and sue others in court

What does Rebecca Nurse say will cure the girls' apparent illnesses?

the girls tiring of their silly behavior

What conclusion can you draw about Hale from the following lines of dialogue? Hale. . . . The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hades upon her.

He wants no one to question his authority

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Deference

Respect due a superior or elder

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Corroborating

Supporting with evidence or authority

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Imperceptible

Unnoticeable

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Iniquity

Wickedness

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Anarchy

The absence of order

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Subservient

Prepared to answer others unquestioningly

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Abomination

A shameful or detestable action

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Heathen

A person that has no religion; animalistic

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Conjure

Call upon to appear

Vocabulary: Define each of the following terms. Then create your own sentence using the term. Faction

A small dissenting group within a larger one

Why is Parris so worried about Abigail's reputation?

He is afraid that anything that Abigail does wrong will be blamed on him.

Why does Ann Putnam believe that witchcraft exists in Salem?

Seven of her children have died within a day of being born, and she suspects that witchcraft is the cause of their deaths.

Describe one way that the character Rebecca Nurse attempts to foil, or frustrate, other characters through logic in Act One of this drama.

Rebecca Nurse is calm in the face of hysteria in Betty's room; she is a foil to Anne Putnam when she insists that the children will begin to act normal again when they are tired of being; she tries to talk sense to Parris when he accuses people of being "unmindful of their obligations toward this ministry"; she is shocked when she discovers that Anne Putnam sent Ruth to "conjure up the dead"; she leaves the room to show disapproval when Hale says that taking the devil out of Betty might harm her

How are books both respected and the cause of suspicion in Act One?

Hale brings the books to show the people that he has an education and authority. On the other hand, Giles explains that his wife hides and reads books and that her reading has possibly affected his ability to pray.

Explain why the girls are more willing to lie and blame others than to tell the truth about what they did in the woods. Use two details from the drama to support your response.

The girls are more willing to lie and blame others because they see no consequences for doing so. They are afraid of telling the truth about their behavior because they are scared that the community will punish them. Mary tries to convince Abigail to tell the truth because they'll only be whipped for dancing, but to let people accuse them of witchcraft is to face hanging.

The girls discover that blaming the devil for certain behaviors removes the blame from them. For instance, Tituba plays along when Parris and Hale think that the devil has bewitched the children. And Hale says that if Tituba tells the truth,he and the others will protect her. He says that she is "God's instrument" and that God will bless her for her help. When Abigail, Betty, and Tituba accuse other women of being witches, they are not asked to give any proof. People take their accusations as the truth, so the girls have no reason to confess their own sins.