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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Lincoln surprise Ann Rutledge while she is clearing tables during Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) By bursting into song when she agrees to talk with him.
(b) By asking her to dance on the bar.
(c) By delivering a package from her fiance.
(d) By declaring his love for her.

2. What is the weather, as the Greens sit in their parlor, waiting for Abe to return from Ann Rutledge's home?
(a) It is storming, windy and rainy.
(b) A blizzard is going on.
(c) The sun is shining brightly.
(d) A gentle breeze ruffles the leaves of autumn trees.

3. Who wrote the poem that Lincoln's teacher gives him to read?
(a) John Brown.
(b) John Lennon.
(c) John Singer Sargeant.
(d) John Keats.

4. What characteristics make Mary Todd a good catch in the eyes of most people?
(a) She's smart, cultivated and the daughter of a bank president.
(b) She speaks French, cooks Italian and comes from a line of English royalty.
(c) She is exceedingly beautiful and has a shy, retiring demeanor.
(d) She's highly educated and would make a good Secretary of State.

5. Who have Bowling Green, Ninian Edwards and Josh Speed come to New Salem to see?
(a) Ann Rutledge.
(b) Ben Mattling.
(c) Abe Lincoln.
(d) Seth Gale

6. What does Lincoln's companion think of Lincoln's plan for his wedding?
(a) He agrees that Lincoln is making the right decision, for the right reasons.
(b) He believes everything will work out fine, once Lincoln has a drink or two.
(c) He thinks Lincoln is being too brutal, at least in the way he intends to deliver the news.
(d) He's distressed and offers to deliver the news himself.

7. How does Lincoln define his "own great duty?"
(a) His duty is to defend the Constitution to the best of his understanding.
(b) His duty is to mind his own business and he doesn't care what other people think.
(c) He needs to go West and seize California from the Mexican government.
(d) He doesn't know what it is and he's tired of people nagging him about it.

8. What does Lincoln do that impresses Ninian Edwards in Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) Lincoln gets everyone's attention by firing his pistol at the ceiling.
(b) Lincoln diffuses the tension with the Clancy Groves boys.
(c) Lincoln announces there is free pie in the town square.
(d) Lincoln punches a bully who is threatening Ann Rutledge.

9. Why does Lincoln return to New Salem in Act 1, Scene 3?
(a) He has been kicked out of Springfiled for being drunk in public.
(b) Seth Gale summoned him with a letter.
(c) Ann Rutledge is sick.
(d) The Greens have asked him to mediate in their divorce.

10. Lincoln tells Josh Speed to give his letter for Mary Todd to Herndon to deliver. How does Josh respond?
(a) He rips the letter into tiny pieces and throws them on the floor.
(b) He runs out the door with the letter.
(c) He gives the letter to Herndon.
(d) He throws the letter into the fire in the stove.

11. What last ditch effort does Mary Todd's sister make to prevent a proposal from Lincoln toward the end of Act 2, Scene 5?
(a) She begs Mary to put the children to bed.
(b) She spills a pot of hot tea on Lincoln's lap.
(c) She produces a fan and uses it to flirt with Lincoln, to show he wouldn't be a faithful husband.
(d) She begins yelling at her sister, causing Ninian to slap her and drag her from the room.

12. Lincoln and Mary Todd are getting married, yet he seems to be in despair. Why?
(a) He wants to break the engagement and leave Mary Todd at the altar.
(b) He discovers he loves Elizabeth Edwards, not Mary Todd.
(c) Mary Todd has written him a letter, breaking their engagement.
(d) Mary Todd has run off with Billy Herndon.

13. How does Mary Todd respond to Lincoln's proposal at the end of Act 2, Scene 5?
(a) She grabs his hands, looks deeply into his eyes and whispers the word "yes."
(b) She laughs and laughs, then says she'll think it over seriously and get back to him.
(c) First she acts surprised, then meekly agrees with a timid "yes."
(d) She doesn't--the scene ends with the lights fading before he pops the question.

14. When Lincoln suggests he wants to die in Act 1, Scene 3, how do his friends respond?
(a) They agree that it might be best if he dies.
(b) They insist he stay and try to get some sleep.
(c) They promise to introduce him to other women.
(d) They fall to their knees and beg him to reconsider.

15. According to Nancy Green in Act 1, Scene 3, why can't Lincoln face life without a woman by his side?
(a) Because he goes into trances when under stress and needs someone to help him snap out of it.
(b) Because he hears the whispers of the dead women in his life, including his mother, and he can't understand what the whispers mean.
(c) Because he hears voices in the night and they give him contradictory directions.
(d) Because he listens to strange voices that speak to him in church and they command him to do bad things.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the weather complement Lincoln's mood when he arrives at the home of the Greens' with news of Ann's death?

2. How does Mary Todd characterize the life her sister and brother-in-law have chosen?

3. What is Josh Speed's request to the Greens as he departs at the end of Act 1, Scene 3?

4. What is Lincoln's initial response to the idea of running for office?

5. What is Josh Speed's understanding of Lincoln's personality?

(see the answer keys)

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