View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the debate, Lincoln accuses Douglas of pandering to both sides of the slavery issue. What does he mean?
(a) Breathing heavily whenever the issue becomes heated.
(b) Telling the South he's for slavery and the North that it shouldn't be allowed to spread.
(c) Offering a trip to China to see the giant Pandas if a compromise is reached.
(d) Refusing to take a stand either for or against slavery.

2. What is the mood of the crowd surging around Lincoln at the railroad station?
(a) Happy and admiring.
(b) There was no crowd, it was pouring rain.
(c) Disapproving and sullen.
(d) Hostile and silent.

3. Asked how he'll feel if he loses, how does Lincoln predict he will feel?
(a) Afraid to face Mary.
(b) As flustered as a toad in hot water.
(c) The greatest sense of relief.
(d) Crushed beyond belief.

4. What is the essential element Lincoln's party is seeking in a presidential candidate when they ask him to run?
(a) A willingness to raise taxes.
(b) An anti-slavery attitude.
(c) A strong military policy.
(d) The ability to get elected.

5. How many candidates are seeking the presidency?
(a) Five.
(b) Three.
(c) Two.
(d) Four.

6. What plans are afoot in South Carolina in case of a Lincoln victory?
(a) Secession from the Union.
(b) Emancipation of slaves in the state.
(c) A Republican victory celebration with fireworks.
(d) A 10,000-man march on Washington.

7. What is it about the Gale family's plans that seems most important to Lincoln?
(a) Their big dreams for their son's future.
(b) The success they've achieved with the dry-cleaning business.
(c) The relationship they've developed with Gobey.
(d) The care they have for the nation and the possiblity they will abandon America if slavery spreads.

8. What does Seth Gale suggest might happen if slavery spreads West to new states and territories?
(a) He says settlers will be satisfied, regardless of the state of slavery.
(b) He predicts settlers will raise an army and declare war.
(c) He thinks the Mexicans will attack if slavery spreads.
(d) He says settlers might form another country or move to Canada.

9. When Lincoln leaves the parlor for a moment, how does one of his visitors in Act 3, Scene 9 describe him?
(a) One of the smoothest, slickest politicians that ever hoodwinked a yokel mob.
(b) One of the most astute politicians who ever emerged from a backwoods log cabin.
(c) A lawyer as crooked as a dog's hind leg.
(d) A demagogue who could play the ringmaster in a Barnum and Bailey Circus.

10. Who is Lincoln's main rival for the presidency?
(a) Stephen Douglas.
(b) Andrew Jackson.
(c) Uriah Heep.
(d) William Herndon.

11. To which of Shakespeare's characters does Douglas compare Lincoln?
(a) Romeo.
(b) Brutus.
(c) Hamlet.
(d) Macbeth.

12. What distinction does Lincoln draw between the slaves and downtrodden workers in the North?
(a) The workers have the right to strike, slaves do not.
(b) The slaves can run away, the workers cannot.
(c) The workers live with harsh winters, the slaves do not.
(d) Slaves live on plantations, workers live in cities.

13. What are the issues on Lincoln's mind as he addresses the crowd?
(a) The cost of maintaining the railroads.
(b) A strike by factory workers in New Jersey.
(c) The break-up of the Union because 11 states have promised to secede.
(d) His wife's mental health.

14. What does Seth Gale's wife want for her sick son, besides the help of a doctor?
(a) A minister to say a prayer.
(b) A college scholarship so he won't have to live on the prairie.
(c) A bathtub full of cool water to calm his fever.
(d) A minister to drive the evil spirits from his soul.

15. What has Mary Todd been doing while Lincoln entertains his guests?
(a) Throwing a tantrum.
(b) Making tea.
(c) Listening at the door.
(d) Hemming a dress.

Short Answer Questions

1. After 18 years of marriage to Lincoln, what is it that Mary Todd is bitter about?

2. What happens when Seth Gale's boy takes a turn for the worse before the doctor arrives at the end of Act 2, Scene 7?

3. What institution does Douglas use to bolster his argument that negroes are not equal under the Constitution?

4. What is Mary Todd's mood when she finds out--at the last minute--that important men are coming to talk to her husband?

5. What's the first thing one of the guests in Act 3, Scene 10 does after sitting down in the Lincolns' parlor?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 798 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample