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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What color is the rocking chair in the Wrights' home?

2. When was the play Trifles first produced?

3. Who asks the county attorney near the end of the story, "Did you want to see what Mrs. Peters was going to take in?"

4. Who does Mrs. Hale say "have their hands full" to Mr. Henderson?

5. Who stands accused of murder in A Jury of Her Peers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mrs. Hale do with the stitching on the quilt? What is Mrs. Peters' response?

2. Who did Mr. Hale call inside after Mrs. Wright told him Mr. Wright was dead? What did they find?

3. What close call do the women face in the climax of the story regarding the evidence?

4. What causes Mr. Hale to backtrack in his description of Mrs. Wright's demeanor in his interview with the county attorney?

5. How is the theme of gender roles defined in the plot of the story?

6. Why does Mrs. Hale defend the suspect's dirty kitchen? What does Mr. Henderson regard this to be?

7. How does Mrs. Hale recall Mrs. Wright? What significance does this have in interpreting Minnie's character?

8. What did Mrs. Wright do when Mr. Hale attempted to make small talk?

9. How is Mrs. Peters described through Mrs. Hale's thoughts in the beginning of the narrative?

10. What leads Mrs. Hale to the conclusion that Mr. Wright killed the bird?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the character of John Wright and different qualities which lead the reader to believe Mrs. Wright killed him. Is murder justified, given the circumstances? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the character of Mrs. Hale and her relationship to Mrs. Wright in the narrative. How did Mrs. Hale know Mrs. Wright? Were they close? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Define and identify the narrative mode and tense of the narrative. What distinction is made between "omniscient" and "limited" narrative modes?

(see the answer keys)

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