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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Mary Todd's lifelong dream for herself?
(a) That she will be able to nominate Supreme Court justices.
(b) That she will become President of the United States.
(c) That she will live a simple life, raising children.
(d) That she will marry the President of the United States.

2. What organization wants Lincoln to give a speech?
(a) The American Civil Liberties Union.
(b) The AFL-CIO.
(c) The Democratic Party of Quincy, Ill.
(d) The Elijiah Lovejoy League of Freemen.

3. What is the local gossip in New Salem about Ann Rutledge?
(a) She is in line for a job as the town's teacher.
(b) She is in love with Abe Lincoln.
(c) She is secretly a witch.
(d) She has been jilted by her fiance, who left town.

4. How does Act 1, Scene 3, in which Ann Rutledge dies, come to an end?
(a) The scene concludes with Lincoln on his knees in the attic, sobbing.
(b) The scene ends with a prayer spoken by Nancy Green.
(c) The scene ends with only a beam of light from Abe's attic illuminating the stage.
(d) The scene ends when Lincoln stumbles offstage, leaving his friends worried about his fate.

5. What is happening when Lincoln enters Rutledge Tavern to deliver mail?
(a) A local bully is angling for a fight with Ninian Edwards.
(b) Ben Mattling is having a heart attack.
(c) The Clancy Groves boys have the judge trapped behind the bar.
(d) The Clancy Groves boys are buying a round of whiskey for everyone.

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

7. What is the mood of the speech Lincoln is asked to read in the first scene?
(a) Infinitive.
(b) Subjunctive.
(c) Potential.
(d) Indicative.

8. How does the weather complement Lincoln's mood when he arrives at the home of the Greens' with news of Ann's death?
(a) The weather is as clear as his conscience.
(b) The wind howls in agony along with him.
(c) A blizzard settles in, reflecting the cold that has settled in his heart.
(d) The weather is as stormy as his mood.

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

10. What happens at the end of Act 2, Scene 4 that proves Lincoln's claim that he is a social success?
(a) Mary Todd sends Lincoln a thank-you note for a pleasant evening the previous week.
(b) Ninian Edwards invites Lincoln home for dinner.
(c) Nancy Green accepts a job as his social secretary to keep track of his dates.
(d) Josh Speed introduces Lincoln to his sister.

11. How does Lincoln feel after Ann's death?
(a) He knows her death is for the best, and that he will be able to concentrate better without her.
(b) He feels guilty because she got brain sickness and he did not.
(c) He feels he should die to be with her again or he will go crazy.
(d) He is relieved because he had begun to doubt her love.

12. Why is Ann's death such a setback to Lincoln?
(a) He depended on Ann's connections to the politically powerful in Washington.
(b) He doesn't feel he will be taken seriously as a candidate if he is single.
(c) Ann wrote his speeches; without her, he has nothing to say.
(d) He fears any woman who loves him is doomed to an early death, like his mother.

13. What is Billy Herndon's reaction to Lincoln's reasons for breaking off the engagement?
(a) He is stunned and speechless. He finishes off the bottle in his pocket.
(b) He is gobsmacked, but he helps Lincoln write another letter.
(c) Herndon agrees that Mary Todd is a witch and says he's glad Lincoln changed his mind.
(d) Herndon says Lincoln is really trying to escape his own failure to serve the country.

14. When Act 2, Scene 4 opens in Lincoln's Springfield law office, how much time has passed since the death of Ann Rutledge?
(a) Two years.
(b) Six months.
(c) Thirteen years.
(d) Five years.

15. Who does Ninian Edwards believe might be instigating the prospect of marriage between Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd?
(a) Abe Lincoln.
(b) Judge Bowling Green.
(c) Elizabeth Edwards' father.
(d) Mary Todd.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Billy Herndon?

2. What advice does Josh Speed give Lincoln regarding his mental health?

3. What does Lincoln's companion think of Lincoln's plan for his wedding?

4. Who is with Lincoln at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 6?

5. What is the setting of Act 2, Scene 5 and what does it convey about the occupants?

(see the answer keys)

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