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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 Bowling Green's attitude toward the possibility of Lincoln marrying Ann Rutledge?
(a) He's for the marriage; Ann's family has a lot of money to spend on campaigns.
(b) Judge Green is against it; he thinks Ann will be a hindrance to Lincoln.
(c) He's all for the marriage; he thinks Ann will keep Lincoln on track.
(d) He is against the marriage; he knows Ann has been seeing someone else.

2. Besides debt, what topic often occupies Lincoln's mind?
(a) The prospect of civil war.
(b) The prospect of a harsh winter.
(c) The prospect of marriage.
(d) The prospect of death.

3. Who are the main characters in the first scene of the play?
(a) Mentor Graham, Seth Gale and Mary Todd Lincoln.
(b) Abe Lincoln and Mentor Graham.
(c) Abe Lincoln and Seth Gale.
(d) Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln.

4. How old is Abe Lincoln at the time of Act 2, Scene 4 in his Springfield law office?
(a) 27-years-old.
(b) 72-years-old.
(c) 31-years-old.
(d) 45-years-old.

5. What is Lincoln's initial response to the idea of running for office?
(a) He is angry because he thinks the idea is a bad joke.
(b) He's excited and jumps at the chance.
(c) He weeps because his friends think so highly of him.
(d) He thinks it's a comical notion and not a good idea.

Short Answer Questions

1. What opinion does Elizabeth Edwards have of Abe Lincoln?

2. What is Lincoln's response to a poem he reads regarding life and death?

3. What does Ann's love do for Lincoln?

4. Where is Abe Lincoln staying while in New Salem in Act 1, Scene 3?

5. When Lincoln suggests he wants to die in Act 1, Scene 3, how do his friends respond?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How desperate is Lincoln and what is the event that seems to have caused his emotional outbreak?

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

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. Ninian Edwards is Lincoln's friend and an admirer, he tells Mary Todd. And yet, he is still unsure what she sees in Lincoln as a potential husband. What does Mary Todd tell her brother-in-law in response to that question?

9. As Lincoln contemplates breaking his engagement, Josh Speeds urges him to wait until he, Lincoln, is feeling calmer. Lincoln responds that he is desperate to have the matter settled. What is Josh Speed's larger concern about Lincoln under the circumstances?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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