1. Considering the information available about the defendant, to what extent does the composition of this jury reflect the principle that should guide the composition of a jury trying a case?
(a) To a limited extent.
(b) Totally.
(c) To a great extent.
(d) Not at all.

2. How does the prosecution help to establish for the jury that the eyewitness was in a position to see the murder?
(a) They show a videotape illustrating how the murder could have been seen.
(b) They present other witnesses who say the same thing.
(c) The jury is taken to the home of the eyewitness to observe the conditions under which the murder was witnessed.
(d) They provide pictures of the apartment and the surroundings.

3. What principle is supposed to guide the composition of a jury in relation to the defendant?
(a) They should know the defendent's circumstances well.
(b) They should be twelve members of the community who are the defendant's peers.
(c) They should be from the same ethnic group.
(d) They should be from similar backgrounds.

4. In the beginning of the deliberations, how do most of the jurors demonstrate a lack of seriousness about their role as jurors?
(a) They do not pay attention to the details.
(b) They read the newspaper.
(c) They are concerned about how the trial has kept them from attending to their own interests.
(d) They are casual in their discussions.

5. How does Juror Eight capitalize on the error made by Juror Three in threatening to kill him?
(a) He asks Juror Three whether he really means that.
(b) He tells the other jurors "See? He said what he didn't mean."
(c) He asks Juror Three if he would really kill him.
(d) He asks the other jurors if they think that Juror Three would really kill him.

Short Answer Questions

1. What literary device is used by the writer when he allows Juror Three to prove something to the jurors that is exactly opposite to what he would have wanted?

2. What does the behavior of most of the jurors demonstrate about the decisions reached by juries?

3. What does this experience among the jurors demonstrate about group behavior?

4. Which juror shares the experience of living near the track of an el train?

5. Why does the writer allow one of the jurors to threaten that he will kill another?

(see the answer key)

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