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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. What is the true reason Lincoln wants to end the engagement with Mary Todd?
(a) She has taken to wearing spurs and brandishing a whip when they are alone.
(b) He knows he is losing his mind and wants to spare her from sharing his pain.
(c) He hates her ambitions for him and doesn't want to be driven to achieve her goals for the rest of his life.
(d) He believes she really wants to marry Stephen Douglas.

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

3. What is a benefit of being in the state capitol that might entice Lincoln to run for office?
(a) Women will seek him out for marriage.
(b) The opportunity to learn from the finest lawyers in the state.
(c) The chance to have suits made that will have sleeves that are long enough for his arms.
(d) He will be able to collect extra money by doing favors for friends.

4. In Act 2, Scene 6, Lincoln sits at his desk on the day he is to be married. What day of the year is it?
(a) Thanksgiving Day.
(b) Christmas Day.
(c) New Year's Day.
(d) The Fourth of July.

5. In a poem that Lincoln reads in the first scene, what is it that the poet finds strange about people?
(a) They dance through life unaware of pleasure.
(b) They are afraid to face death alone.
(c) They look forward to death, even when life is good.
(d) They think of death as an awakening.

Short Answer Questions

1. Billy Herndon, Lincoln's law clerk, arrives in Act 2, Scene 6. What is his condition?

2. How does Lincoln intend to communicate his intentions to Mary Todd?

3. What is it about politics that Lincoln dislikes?

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

5. What reason does Lincoln give in Act 2, Scene 4 for turning down the opportunity to speak against slavery?

Short Essay Questions

1. Josh Speed and Bowling Green are longtime friends of Lincoln's; they have urged him for years to seek higher political office. In Act 2, Scene 4, what is their attitude toward Lincoln's reluctance to run for an important elected position?

2. Act 1, Scene 2 portrays Lincoln's first step toward a political destiny. The audience (or reader) knows that Lincoln will become one of the country's great Presidents. What symbols does the author use in this scene to heighten that feeling of political destiny?

3. How does Mary Todd characterize the man her sister married and the life they have together? And what is wrong with that life, according to Mary Todd?

4. Lincoln tries to draw Ann out about her sadness, but she resists. However, he continues. Does this change Ann's perception of Lincoln?

5. What is Josh Speed's opinion of Lincoln's personality and prospects, now that Lincoln is in the State Assembly?

6. Lincoln is reluctant to consider running for State Assembly. What is his main objection?

7. Nancy Green and Bowling Green have a disagreement about whether Ann Rutledge is good for Lincoln. What are their respective opinions?

8. Does Lincoln appear to be emotionally stable just after he announces the death of Ann Rutledge?

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. What is Lincoln's feeling about his career prospects as a young adult studying English in New Salem?

(see the answer keys)

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