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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. Where has Lincoln been, just before he arrives at the Edwards' home in Act 2, Scene 5?
(a) Visiting another woman, to whom he plans to propose.
(b) Visiting a potential client in jail.
(c) At the Statehouse, lobbying against gun registration.
(d) Fox hunting.

2. What, besides politics, does Lincoln have on his mind during the scene in the Rutledge Tavern?
(a) Asking Ann Rutledge to consider him as a suitor.
(b) Taking over the family farm from his sick father.
(c) Running down to the town picnic for a piece of pie.
(d) Asking town officials for a raise in his wages as postmaster.

3. Who admits being the one who suggested recruiting Lincoln to run for office?
(a) Ann Rutledge.
(b) Josh Speed.
(c) Jack Armstrong.
(d) Seth Gale.

4. 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) The sun is shining brightly.
(c) A blizzard is going on.
(d) A gentle breeze ruffles the leaves of autumn trees.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In a poem that Lincoln reads in the first scene, what is it that the poet finds strange about people?

2. What is Lincoln's new attitude toward God after Ann's death?

3. What is Billy Herndon's flaw?

4. In Act 2, Scene 5, Lincoln mentions a woman "foxing" his pants--what does that mean?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lincoln tell his friends in Act 2, Scene 4, in the discussion about his lack of political ambition and his unwillingness to speak publicly against slavery?

2. Describe the setting in Act 2, Scene 5 (the parlor of the Edwards' home) and explain what the setting is meant to tell the audience.

3. Does Lincoln's teacher agree or disagree with the argument Webster makes for maintaining the Union in the speech Lincoln reads in the first scene of the play?

4. In Act 2, Scene 4, Lincoln continues to resist running for any office with more authority than the Electoral College. Why?

5. Josh Speed arrives to visit with Abe at the Greens' house. When Lincoln isn't there, Speed fills them in on Lincoln's activities in the State Assembly. What has Lincoln accomplished in the year since he's been elected?

6. By Act 2, Scene 4, it is clear that Lincoln's friendship with Ninian Edwards (the governor's son) has advanced. What evidence does Lincoln offer of his popularity?

7. The informal committee that came to recruit Lincoln to run for State Assembly in Act 1, Scene 2 has a larger political purpose in mind. What is it?

8. Why is it that debt is always heavy on Lincoln's mind during his early adulthood, covered by Act 1, Scene 1?

9. Act 2, Scene 5 is fairly brief, with a heated discussion between Mary Todd and her sister and brother-in-law. While the characters talk about the possibility of Mary Todd marrying Lincoln, the proposal doesn't actually take place. What purpose does the scene serve?

10. At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 5, Elizabeth Edwards is responding to a bit of news which surprises her--even though she might have seen it coming. What is the news and who brought it to her attention?

(see the answer keys)

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