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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. According to the Introduction, where was Trifles first performed?

2. Who played the role of George Henderson in the original production of Trifles?

3. According to the Introduction, during what years did Susan Glaspell work as a reporter for the Des Moines News?

4. According to the Introduction, who played the role of Henry Peters in the original production of Trifles?

5. What sentence was the murder suspect given for the murder of John Hossack?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Hale describe when he knocks at the Wrights' door the previous day?

2. How does Trifles reflect “local color” in its style and narrative?

3. What theatrical group did Susan Glaspell help found? Where was it originated?

4. Who does Mr. Hale call inside after Mrs. Wright tells him Mr. Wright is dead? What did they find?

5. What is revealed about the characters through their dialogue and language?

6. How does Trifles differ from episodic dramas or climactic plays?

7. How does Mrs. Hale recall Mrs. Wright? What can the reader/audience discern of Mrs. Wright’s character by Mrs. Hale’s recollections?

8. Upon what historic murder trial are the events in Trifles based?

9. What does Mrs. Wright reply when Mr. Hale tells her that he wants to see Mr. Wright?

10. What themes are central in the play? Which characters are the focus of the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the lives of women in rural American communities at the turn of the century. What were typical tasks assigned to women? How did the requirements of frontier life determine the role women played in the family? How were women’s and men’s roles differ?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the relationship between the women in the narrative. How does the relationship develop? Why do the women gain sympathy for Mrs. Wright through the second half of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the details of the Hossack murder trial. Where did the trial take place and in what capacity was Susan Glaspell involved? How did the trial influence her writing in Trifles? What elements of the story were changed?

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