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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. In a poem given to Lincoln by his teacher in the first scene, life is compared to what?
(a) A fairy tale, a legend, a lie.
(b) A river, a meadow, the wide horizon.
(c) A nightmare, a hallucination, a ghost.
(d) A dream, a vision, a phantom.

2. Ninian Andrews arrives at Lincoln's office and learns about a sad event. What is it?
(a) Lincoln's dog, Rufus, has been killed in a hunting mishap.
(b) Seth Gale's mother is dead of malaria.
(c) Jack Armstrong is in jail for murder.
(d) The death of Lincoln's friend, Bowling Green.

3. Where is Abe Lincoln staying while in New Salem in Act 1, Scene 3?
(a) At the home of Bowling and Nancy Green.
(b) With Ann Rutledge's family.
(c) In a barn belonging to Josh Speed.
(d) In Rutledge's Tavern.

4. Who does Ninian Edwards believe might be instigating the prospect of marriage between Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd?
(a) Mary Todd.
(b) Abe Lincoln.
(c) Elizabeth Edwards' father.
(d) Judge Bowling Green.

5. 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) It depresses him: "Life is sure 'nuff short, why think about death?"
(c) He finds it strange: "I don't get the meaning of it, at all."
(d) He likes it: "It sure is good...it's fine!

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Ninian Edwards?

2. What is the true reason Lincoln wants to end the engagement with Mary Todd?

3. How does Lincoln surprise Ann Rutledge while she is clearing tables during Act 1, Scene 2?

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

5. What last ditch effort does Mary Todd's sister make to prevent a proposal from Lincoln toward the end of Act 2, Scene 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. Is Lincoln liked or disliked in the community of New Salem, according to his teacher in Act 1, Scene 1?

4. 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?

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

6. 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?

7. What is Ann Rutledge's mood when she enters to clear the glasses of the men who have left the tavern in Act 1, Scene 2? Why is she feeling that way?

8. 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?

9. 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?

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)

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