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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 Mary Todd Lincoln's response to her husband's suggestion that she go home?
(a) She turns silently and leaves the room.
(b) She becomes hysterical and says her husband hates her.
(c) She laughs and insists she's staying until the bitter end.
(d) She bursts into tears and slaps him.

2. What's the first thing one of the guests in Act 3, Scene 10 does after sitting down in the Lincolns' parlor?
(a) Offers Lincoln a job running his company.
(b) Congratulates Lincoln on the beauty of the house.
(c) Asks permission to smoke a cigar.
(d) Spills tea on the sofa.

3. How does Mary Todd accept Lincoln's proposal at the end of Act 2, Scene 8?
(a) She appears to hesitate, keeping him wondering for a moment if she will accept.
(b) She bursts into tears and says she must marry him because he has ruined her reputation.
(c) She dances happily into his arms and pulls his beard while saying yes.
(d) She clutches him tightly, declares her undying love and begins sobbing.

4. What has Lincoln been doing since breaking his engagement to Mary Todd?
(a) Studying to become a missionary preacher.
(b) Practicing law and building a fortune.
(c) Teaching down in Kentucky and Indiana.
(d) Just drifting, down around Kentucky and Indiana.

5. To which of Shakespeare's characters does Douglas compare Lincoln?
(a) Macbeth.
(b) Romeo.
(c) Brutus.
(d) Hamlet.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is it about the Gale family's plans that seems most important to Lincoln?

2. What are Mary's first words to Abe when he arrives after a two-year absence?

3. Who is Lincoln's main rival for the presidency?

4. Who is the moderator of the debate between Lincoln and Douglas?

5. Why does Mary agree to the public humiliation of taking Lincoln back after two years?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Act 2, Scene 8, Lincoln apologizes for being a coward. He says he shrank from the marriage because he didn't want or believe in the destiny Mary envisions for him. Now, though, he says he wants to "strive to deserve" her faith. Does the way that Lincoln again asks her to marry him indicate that he loves her or has some other reason for marrying her?

2. The cheering crowd chants for Lincoln to make a speech from the back of the railroad car. He begins by naming the problems facing the nation. But he finishes on a note of hope. What outcome is Lincoln hoping to achieve?

3. Almost at the moment he learns of his election, Lincoln's life changes in a way he doesn't like. In the play, who or want is the sign of this change? And which of the play's themes does this change fit into?

4. In his prayer for Seth Gale's son, Lincoln also prays for something else. What is it?

5. As he is leaving Springfield, what is Lincoln's hope regarding his future?

6. In Act 3, Scene 9, Stephen Douglas says the question of equal rights for slaves has been legally settled. How was the issue settled and what was the decision?

7. While Lincoln asserts that he submits to the will of God, he doesn't belong to any church. What are his objections to organized forms of worship?

8. Lincoln has an outburst of his own, in response to Mary. What are his complaints against her?

9. Josh Speed is awaiting Lincoln's visitors, too. He is clearly aware of the tensions between Mary and Abe. How does Speed respond when Mary suggests that Speed, among others, probably thinks of her as a bitter, nagging woman?

10. Where is Gale taking his family as he meets with Lincoln in Act 2, Scene 7? Why is he going?

(see the answer keys)

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