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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At the end of the play, where does Mrs. Hale stash the box?
(a) The bread box
(b) The cupboard
(c) Her handbag
(d) Her coat pocket

2. Which of the following is a central theme in Trifles?
(a) Nature versus nurture
(b) Political ambition
(c) Father and son relationships
(d) Gender differences

3. Mrs. Hale remarks to Mrs. Peters, “I suppose she felt she couldn’t do her part, and then you don’t enjoy things when you feel” what?
(a) Shabby
(b) Abused
(c) Beaten
(d) Slighted

4. Near the end of the play, where does Mrs. Peters attempt to hide the jeweled box?
(a) Her hat
(b) Her coat pocket
(c) Her handbag
(d) Her shawl

5. Mrs. Hale remarks that Mrs. Wright did not even belong to what organization?
(a) The Church Bakers
(b) The Church Choir
(c) The Ladies Aid
(d) The Women’s Book Club

Short Answer Questions

1. Mrs. Peters claims that “[t]he law has got to” do what?

2. What do the women find in the fancy box in Mrs. Wright’s sewing basket?

3. Who says, “Well, Women are used to worrying over trifles”?

4. What item does Mrs. Peters say Mrs. Wright had asked for, calling it a funny thing to want in jail?

5. What does George Henderson ask the women when he sees the birdcage in the room?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of female loyalty illustrated in the play?

2. When George Henderson asks if Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright had been friends, how does Mrs. Hale reply?

3. What condescending comments are made of the women as the men first disappear upstairs?

4. What happens after Mr. Hale finishes his story of the previous day's events?

5. What is strange about the choice of weapon used in the murder? What do the women remark about it?

6. How does Trifles reflect women’s roles during Susan Glaspell’s lifetime?

7. What does Mrs. Hale begin doing once the men exit to investigate upstairs? What does she discover in the kitchen?

8. How does Mrs. Peters attempt to maintain objectiveness with Mrs. Hale when she concludes Minnie's innocence?

9. What leads Mr. Henderson to the conclusion that Mrs. Wright is a bad housekeeper?

10. What causes Mr. Hale to backtrack in his description of Mrs. Wright's demeanor in his interview with the County Attorney?

(see the answer keys)

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