View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the women find in the fancy box in Mrs. Wright’s sewing basket?

2. What does Mrs. Peters tell Mrs. Hale that she knows?

3. What is Mrs. Peters’ response when Mrs. Hale asks, “Do you think she did it?”

4. After the men reenter from upstairs, what character says, “Well, I’ve got the team around. Pretty cold out there”?

5. What key character in the play never appears onstage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mrs. Hale remark to Mrs. Peters about the signs of anger in the Wrights' house?

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

3. What is the men’s response when they discover the women examining the sewing basket?

4. What does Mrs. Hale discover in the box in Mrs. Wright's sewing basket? How do the women respond?

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

6. What causes Mr. Hale to backtrack in his description of Mrs. Wright's demeanor in his interview with the County Attorney?

7. What condescending comments are made of the women as the men first disappear upstairs?

8. When does Mrs. Hale ask Mrs. Peters her opinion on the guilt of Mrs. Wright? What is her reply?

9. What leads the women to discover the pretty box in Mrs. Wright's sewing basket?

10. What comment is made regarding the kitchen before the men depart upstairs? Why is this significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the objectives of each character and the actions taken to achieve those objectives. What does Mr. Henderson want to find in the home? Why does he abandon the kitchen?

Essay Topic 2

One of the most important characters in Trifles is Mrs. Wright, yet she never appears on the stage. Why did Glaspell leave her out of the play? How does her absence impact Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters? Discuss the ways the play would be different if Mrs. Wright was present.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Mr. Henderson and his role in the narrative. What threat does Mr. Henderson pose to Minnie Wright? What threat does he pose to Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale? What is Mr. Henderson's intention in his investigation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 918 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample