The Crucible Act 2 Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Mary begins Act 2 as a servant but defies John after working with the court. What best explains this change?
She has inherited property and no longer depends on the Proctors
Her court position gives her a new sense of authority and importance
Elizabeth has formally placed her in charge of the household
Hale has appointed her to supervise Salem’s church services
2. What is the strongest dramatic irony in John forgetting the commandment against adultery?
The forgotten commandment directly reflects the sin troubling John’s marriage
Hale already knows every detail of John’s affair
Elizabeth has also forgotten the same commandment
The court has officially removed that commandment from its questioning
3. Which interpretation best connects the idea of a “crucible” to the events of Act 2?
Intense pressure tests characters’ integrity, loyalties, and willingness to confront the truth
The legal proceedings steadily remove uncertainty and reveal objective facts
The accusations allow each character to avoid making difficult moral choices
The household conflict proves that private disagreements remain separate from public events
4. How does John explain why his youngest son has not been baptized?
He is waiting for Reverend Hale to perform the ceremony
He believes baptism should occur only in adulthood
Elizabeth refuses to let the child enter the meeting house
He does not see the light of God in Reverend Parris
5. Why does Reverend Hale visit the Proctor household?
He has come to arrest Mary Warren for contempt of court
He wants to assess the Christian character of people whose names have been mentioned in court
He is looking for the book reportedly read by Martha Corey
He wants John to replace Parris as Salem’s minister
6. Why is Mary terrified when John orders her to tell the court how the poppet was made?
She thinks Hale will accuse her of stealing it from the church
She fears Abigail and the other girls will retaliate against her
She expects the judges to punish her for leaving work early
She believes Elizabeth will dismiss her from the household
7. Sarah Good confesses, while Goody Osburn maintains her innocence and is condemned. What does this contrast suggest about the trials?
The judges require physical proof before accepting any confession
Accused people are released only when their neighbors defend them
Confession can become a means of survival, regardless of whether the charge is true
The court treats denial as proof that no witchcraft occurred
8. Where does most of Act 2 take place?
In the town jail
In the Salem meeting house
In the Proctors’ home
In Reverend Parris’s home
9. What does Mary Warren give Elizabeth when she returns from Salem?
A written court summons
A book belonging to Martha Corey
A bundle of herbs from Tituba
A poppet she made in court
10. What does Elizabeth want John to make clear to Abigail?
Mary will no longer be allowed to attend court
Elizabeth plans to confess so Abigail will be protected
There is no promise or future relationship between John and Abigail
John intends to leave Salem before the next hearing
11. What physical evidence leads officials to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of harming Abigail?
A torn page from one of Hale’s books
A bowl containing unfamiliar herbs
A bloodstained cloth hidden near the fireplace
A needle found in the poppet’s abdomen
12. Why is John’s knowledge that Abigail dismissed the idea of witchcraft difficult to use as evidence?
He promised Reverend Parris that he would never discuss it
He heard it from Mary rather than from Abigail herself
He and Abigail were alone during the conversation, leaving his word against hers
He cannot remember whether the conversation occurred before or after Betty woke
13. John secretly adds seasoning to the stew and then compliments Elizabeth’s cooking. What does this action most clearly reveal?
He is trying to create warmth and approval within a strained marriage
He suspects Elizabeth is deliberately serving him poor food
He wants to prove that household work should be his responsibility
He is testing whether Elizabeth will tell the truth about the meal
14. How does Elizabeth’s arrest intensify John’s central conflict at the end of Act 2?
It requires him to choose whether to accept a position in the court
It forces him to decide whether to leave Salem without Mary
It convinces him to support Parris in order to protect his farm
It pushes him toward challenging Abigail publicly, despite the danger to his reputation
15. What does Rebecca Nurse’s arrest most strongly demonstrate about the accusations by this point in the play?
Only people who openly oppose Reverend Parris are being targeted
Even a highly respected reputation no longer protects someone from hysteria
The court has begun rejecting testimony from the girls
Religious knowledge is enough to have every charge dismissed
16. Which commandment does John Proctor forget while Reverend Hale questions him?
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not covet