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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 Lincoln's response to a poem he reads regarding life and death?
(a) He is inspired to write his own poetry: "I've got a thought, Teacher, give me a pencil."
(b) He likes it: "It sure is good...it's fine!
(c) He finds it strange: "I don't get the meaning of it, at all."
(d) It depresses him: "Life is sure 'nuff short, why think about death?"

2. What does Mary Todd tell her brother-in-law when he asks why she has chosen him as a husband?
(a) She responds that Lincoln will provide a life of stability and security.
(b) She can't give him a simple answer, but his is the life and destiny she wants to share.
(c) She says she loves Lincoln's political ambitions and his resemblance to Lochinvar.
(d) She believes Lincoln is destined for wealth and fame, which she craves.

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

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

5. Billy Herndon, Lincoln's law clerk, arrives in Act 2, Scene 6. What is his condition?
(a) He's drunk, as usual.
(b) He's debilitated by swamp fever.
(c) He has quit drinking and is sober.
(d) He's suffering from an early case of swine flu.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is President during the time represented in Act 2, Scene 4?

2. What is the mood of the speech Lincoln is asked to read in the first scene?

3. What is the plan that Seth Gale and Lincoln have for their futures?

4. What is Bowling Green's attitude toward the possibility of Lincoln marrying Ann Rutledge?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Act 2, Scene 4, Lincoln has a law clerk who is something of a firebrand--he believes deeply in abolition and tries to get Lincoln involved in the public debate. What is Lincoln's response?

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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?

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

7. When Josh Speed burns Lincoln's letter to Mary Todd, Lincoln tells him the real reasons he doesn't want to go through with the marriage. What are his real reasons?

8. How does Nancy Green describe Lincoln's fear of falling in love in Act 1, Scene 3?

9. 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?

10. What sentiment does Daniel Webster express in the speech that Lincoln reads in Act 1, Scene 1?

(see the answer keys)

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