View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are the five indicative moods, as Lincoln knows them?
(a) Meditative, Imperial, Possible, Subjective and Infinite.
(b) Commanding, Questioning, Doubting, Inferior and Decisive.
(c) Indicative, Imperative, Potential, Subjunctive and Infinitive.
(d) Sad, Glad, Mad, Grumpy and Giddy.

2. Does Lincoln agree, in Act 2, Scene 6, with Josh's suggestion about his mental health?
(a) Yes, he knows he is losing his mind--that's why he wants to run away.
(b) He isn't sure, but he admits having hallucinations.
(c) No, he believes he has good reasons for his decision.
(d) Yes, he says he's at the end of his rope and must have release from the wedding.

3. In Scene 2, Act 4, Lincoln receives a letter from his old friend, Seth Gale. What is Gale worrying about?
(a) The possible annexation of Texas, which would result in the extension of slavery through all the territories.
(b) Gale's property taxes are going sky-high to pay for liberation of the slaves.
(c) His wife's increasingly bizarre behavior.
(d) The prospect of his father's death and the debts he will inherit.

4. How much would Lincoln be paid as a member of the legislature?
(a) $2.50 a day.
(b) $5 a day.
(c) Nothing, it's a volunteer job.
(d) $3 a day.

5. What is the wedding gift Ninian has brought Abe?
(a) A slave.
(b) A stovepipe hat that will become Lincon's signature.
(c) A silver box of fine cigars.
(d) A fine, silver-headed cane.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Lincoln jokingly describe, in Act 2, Scene 5, the act of defending a murder suspect?

2. Why does Lincoln return to New Salem in Act 1, Scene 3?

3. What does Billy Herndon urge Lincoln's friends to do, as Herndon leaves the office in Act 2, Scene 4?

4. What does Mary Todd's sister predict if she marries Lincoln?

5. What is the "good joke" Lincoln plans to tell Bowling Green at the end of Act 1, Scene 2 in the Rutledge Tavern?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. William Herndon reacts vehemently to Lincoln's denunciation of Mary Todd's ambitions for Lincoln. What does Herndon, who is somewhat drunk, tell Lincoln?

4. In Act 2, Scene 6, Lincoln decides to jilt Mary Todd on their wedding day. He plans to inform her in a long letter--a plan to which Josh Speed objects. Why does Speed object? In his mind, what does Lincoln's plan say about Lincoln as a man?

5. 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?

6. What is Webster reacting or responding to in the speech Lincoln reads in Act 1, Scene 1?

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

8. 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?

9. In Act 2, Scene 5, Elizabeth Edwards and her sister, Mary Todd, have a spirited discussion about Abraham Lincoln and whether he would be a good match for Mary Todd. What does their argument tell the audience about the sisters' personalities?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,338 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample