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. In Act 2, Scene 7, what is the fear Seth Gale has about traveling with Gobey?
(a) He believes Gobey is planning to escape on the Underground Railroad.
(b) He's careful to stay in free territory to avoid Gobey being kidnapped and sold into slavery.
(c) He's fearful Gobey's previous owner will appear to reclaim him.
(d) He's afraid to take Gobey across state borders because he doesn't have a passport.

2. What is Mary Todd's mood when she finds out--at the last minute--that important men are coming to talk to her husband?
(a) Gleeful.
(b) Furious.
(c) Irritated.
(d) Mournful.

3. At the beginning of Act 3, Scene 10, Lincoln is sitting in his parlor with his sons. How many did he have?
(a) Four.
(b) Seven.
(c) Three.
(d) Two.

4. What are Mary's first words to Abe when he arrives after a two-year absence?
(a) "I'm glad to see you again, Mr. Lincoln."
(b) "You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Lincoln."
(c) "Mr. Lincoln, you are not my idea of a good man."
(d) "I always knew you would return to me, Abe."

5. Douglas accuses Lincoln of having sympathy for slaves but no sympathy for another suffering group of people. Who are they?
(a) Windsurfers in Hawaii.
(b) Textile workers in the North.
(c) Seamstresses on the East Coast.
(d) Auto workers in Detroit.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is the crowd outside receiving voting results?

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

3. How does Lincoln describe Douglas' verbal skills?

4. What has Mary Todd been doing while Lincoln entertains his guests?

5. What does Seth Gale's wife want for her sick son, besides the help of a doctor?

Short Essay Questions

1. On Election Day, as the Lincolns wait for voting results, Mary becomes increasingly anxious. Finally, Lincoln suggests she go home to wait. She responds with a surprising outburst. What does she say and why does she feel so strongly?

2. Despite Mary Lincoln's and Josh Speed's entreaties that Lincoln treat his visitors seriously because they are influential, Lincoln can't help but give them a little of his backwood's humor. How does he respond when Henry D. Sturveson says they have come to see if Lincoln will be a suitable candidate?

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. Lincoln, says Douglas in the debate, is stirring up rebellion against authority. What is the danger that Douglas foresees? And what is the solution he proposes?

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

9. As he waits for the election results, Lincoln calls the evening a "death watch." What are Lincoln's feelings about winning the election?

10. Until he was elected, Lincoln was clean-shaven. But, as he heads to Washington to take office, he is bearded. Why did he grow a beard?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,296 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample