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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. Why has Lincoln come to see Mary Todd in Act 2, Scene 8?
(a) He has come to apologize for breaking their engagement.
(b) He has hopes she will revive his political career.
(c) He has come for dinner, at the invitation of her brother-in-law.
(d) He has come to give word of his engagement to another woman.

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

3. What state delivers the final votes needed for Lincoln's victory?
(a) Georgia.
(b) Illinois.
(c) New York.
(d) Missouri.

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) "I always knew you would return to me, Abe."
(c) "You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Lincoln."
(d) "Mr. Lincoln, you are not my idea of a good man."

5. Who, in Lincoln's headquarters, is the most anxious about the voting returns?
(a) Mary Todd Lincoln.
(b) Josh Speed.
(c) Ninian Edwards.
(d) Robert Lincoln.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many candidates are seeking the presidency?

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

3. Asked how he'll feel if he loses, how does Lincoln predict he will feel?

4. What is it that the visitors to Lincoln's home in Act 3, Scene 10 want to talk about with him?

5. At the end of Scene 2, Act 8, what is Lincoln's response to Mary's actions?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. In their debate, Lincoln compares Douglas to a woman watching her husband fight for his life with a bear. When asked by her husband for an encouraging word, the woman says, "Go husband. Go bear." What was Lincoln saying about Douglas in that comparison?

3. 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?

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

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

6. In Act 2, Scene 7, it has been two years since Lincoln broke off his engagement. He has been drifting since then, but has returned to New Salem in time to meet his old friend, Seth Gale. The Gale family is heading west, to Oregon. Gale has had a hard journey and now his young son is suffering from swamp fever. What does he want from Lincoln at this time?

7. What is the effect on Lincoln of Gale's idealism, his vow to denounce his American citizenship if the government doesn't ban slavery?

8. In Act 3, Scene 10, which takes place in the Lincolns' home, it is clear that the Lincolns' marriage is not happy, or at the least, has problems. Thus far, the play has made clear Mary's part in creating problems. In this scene, the playwright uses a cigar to show that Lincoln isn't an innocent victim in the matter of the marriage. How does the cigar reveal one of Lincoln's faults?

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. 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)

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