Act I--Reading for Information

Explain the difficulties between the Putnams and the Nurses and discuss why this background information is so crucial to the plot.

Act I and II--Symbolism

What is the symbolism in Hale's comment that his books must be heavy as they are "weighted with authority"(34) and how is this ironic when compared to his behavior in Act Two (edited 9/6/10--not on exam)?

Act II--Symbolism

Explain the symbolism and the significance of the needle in the doll.

Act III--Conjecture

Why does Hale seem to have a problem with the information Proctor and his friends present as evidence to Danforth?

Act III--Analysis

What happens with Hawthorne's test for Mary, and why does she fail?

Act IV--Understanding Other Cultures

In what ways and how did Proctor reveal the culture of his times when he said, "I have given you my soul; leave me my name" (133)?

Act IV--Inference

What does Elizabeth mean when she says that her husband "have his goodness now," and "God forbid I take it from him" (134)?

Act IV--Analysis and Auhor's Purpose

Analyze the fallacy on page 130, and identify other fallacies of thinking to which the inhabitants of Salem succumbed as revealed throughout this play. Consider how an audience today succumbs to the same fallacies of thinking (edited 9/6/10--not on exam).