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Part 1: Plot and Character Knowledge

Review the major events of the play. You should be able to explain the following without looking

at your notes.

Act I: The Beginning of the Hysteria

● Why is Reverend Parris worried when he discovers Betty unresponsive?

● What happened in the forest before the play begins?

● What is Abigail Williams's relationship with John Proctor?

● Why does Abigail want Elizabeth Proctor removed from the picture?

● Why does John Proctor hesitate to expose Abigail?

● How do reputation, fear, and religious beliefs influence the characters' actions?

Act II: Suspicion Enters the Proctor Household

● How has the witchcraft hysteria affected the Proctor household?

● Why is Mary Warren's role in the trials important?

● What is the significance of the poppet?

● How does the poppet become evidence against Elizabeth?

● How does Elizabeth respond to the accusations against her?

● How do the events of this act demonstrate the danger of unreliable evidence?

Act III: The Courtroom

● Why does John Proctor bring his concerns about Abigail to the court?

● What does Mary Warren attempt to reveal?

● Why does Mary struggle to maintain her position?

● Why does Elizabeth deny John's affair when questioned?

● How does the court respond to evidence that challenges its conclusions?

● Why does Reverend Hale begin to question the proceedings?

● How do Danforth and the other officials protect the court's authority?

Act IV: Confession and Integrity

● Why does the court want John Proctor to confess?

● Why does Proctor initially consider signing a confession?

● Why does he ultimately refuse to let the court keep his signed confession?

● How has his attitude toward his reputation changed since Act I?

● What does his final decision reveal about integrity and personal responsibility?

● What happens to Giles Corey when he refuses to enter a plea?

● How does Reverend Hale's attitude toward the trials change by the end of the play?

Part 2: Vocabulary

For the definition section, prepare to provide the meaning of a word and its part of speech. For

the fill-in-the-blank section, practice recognizing which word best fits a sentence based on

context clues.

CP vocabulary

• Contrarian

• Poppet

• Perjury

• Lecherous

• Faction

• Fraudulent

• Corrupt

• Vengeance

• Proctor

• Beweildered

• Testify

• Agitation

• Wrath

• Abide

• Wary

• Afflicted

• Conjure

• Contempt

• Evade

Honors vocabulary

• Avarice

• Contrarian

• Perjury

• Lecherous

• Vindication

• Arbitrary

• Corroborate

• Rectitude

• Equivocation

• Hypocrisy

• Subservient

• Reproach

• Inculpatory

• Malevolent

• Testify

• Fraudulent

• Abomination

• Anonymity

• Deposition

• Poppet

Part 3: Major Themes and Concepts

1. Reputation and Integrity

Consider how characters care about their public images and how those concerns influence their

choices.

● Why does John Proctor hesitate to expose Abigail early in the play?

● How does his understanding of reputation change by Act IV?

● Why does he refuse to let the court use his signed confession?

● How does Reverend Parris's concern for his reputation affect his decisions?

Be able to distinguish between reputation, how others see a person, and integrity, acting

according to one's principles.

2. Fear and Hysteria

Think about how fear spreads through Salem and changes the way people behave.

● What do Abigail, Mary Warren, Parris, Hale, and Danforth fear?

● How does fear influence their decisions?

● Why do people make accusations or remain silent?

● How can fear lead otherwise ordinary people to harm others?

Be prepared to explain how individual choices contribute to a larger atmosphere of hysteria.

3. Evidence and Injustice

The court often treats accusations, emotional reactions, and questionable objects as proof of

witchcraft.

Review the poppet incident, the girls' reactions in court, and the testimony presented against the