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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 the name of Seth Gale's young son?
(a) Jimmy.
(b) Jonathon.
(c) Jeremy.
(d) Joshua.

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

3. What do the red flags mean in the map of states in Lincoln's campaign headquarters?
(a) Red states are Communist.
(b) Red states are experiencing a measles epidemic.
(c) Red states are sure bets for Lincoln.
(d) Red states are undecided.

4. When Lincoln leaves the parlor for a moment, how does one of his visitors in Act 3, Scene 9 describe him?
(a) One of the most astute politicians who ever emerged from a backwoods log cabin.
(b) One of the smoothest, slickest politicians that ever hoodwinked a yokel mob.
(c) A demagogue who could play the ringmaster in a Barnum and Bailey Circus.
(d) A lawyer as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Lincoln considering as his first act as president?

2. How is the crowd outside receiving voting results?

3. How many candidates are seeking the presidency?

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

5. What is Mary Todd's mood when she finds out--at the last minute--that important men are coming to talk to her husband?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

4. 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?

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. Mary Todd accepts Lincoln's return in Act 2, Scene 8 without much resistance. She extracts a promise from Lincoln that he'll never leave again, then declares her love for him and her determination "to fight by his side" until death parts them. Does Mary Todd truly love Lincoln or is she using him?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. A few days after meeting Seth Gale, Abe Lincoln arrives at the home of Mary Todd. She is still single and Abe plans to ask her, again, to marry him. Does the fact that Mary is still single, two years after the broken engagement to Lincoln, indicate anything about her character? Support your answer with your interpretation of the text, both from Act 2, Scene 8 and from earlier episodes in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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