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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the verdict from the second vote among jurors prove?
(a) That the evidence is clearer after the discussion.
(b) That the arguments presented by the dissenting juror had some effect.
(c) That the dissenting juror is right in his "not guilty" verdict.
(d) That the foreman does a good job of managing the ballot.

2. Where does the old man who testifies for the prosecution live?
(a) Across the street.
(b) On the ground floor.
(c) On the same floor where the murder occurred.
(d) On the second floor of the apartment building where the murder occured.

3. What is a hung jury?
(a) One in which the evidence is inconclusive.
(b) One in which the jurors recommend hanging.
(c) One in which the foreman cannot control the jurors.
(d) One in which the jurors cannot reach a unanimous verdict.

4. What is the setting in which the reader first meets the twelve characters who give the play its name?
(a) The jury room in a New York court.
(b) The bus in which the jurors are being transported to court.
(c) The murder scene.
(d) The court room.

5. How does the defendant account for the fact that after the murder he does not have the weapon he bought?
(a) He says it was stolen.
(b) He says he left it at his friend's house.
(c) He says he lost it at the football game.
(d) He says it must have fallen through a hole in his coat pocket.

6. What sentence must the defendant face if proven guilty?
(a) The death penalty.
(b) Life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
(c) At least thirty years imprisonment.
(d) Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.

7. What two types of prejudice are evident in the comments of some of the jurors during Act 1?
(a) Prejudice against the poor and prejudice against the uneducated.
(b) Color prejudice and racial prejudice.
(c) Prejudice against foreigners and class prejudice.
(d) Prejudice against some ethnic groups and prejudice against people from certain areas.

8. Why do the jurors take a vote before discussing the evidence?
(a) The verdict is obvious.
(b) So they can leave quickly.
(c) The judge instructs them to do so.
(d) To get an early indication of where they stand on the verdict

9. According to one of the witnesses, what was the defendant alleged to have shouted out to his father on the night of the murder?
(a) "I hate you and I wish you were dead!"
(b) "I hate you and I am going to kill you!"
(c) "You are the worst father and I wish you were dead!"
(d) "I'm gonna kill you!"

10. Who is the defendant and for what is he being tried?
(a) A boy is being tried for the murder of a man downstairs.
(b) A young man is being tried for the murder of his father.
(c) A man is being tried for the murder of the woman next door.
(d) A man is being tried for the murder of his son.

11. According to the evidence, what weapon was used to kill the old man?
(a) A hatchet knife.
(b) A pen knife.
(c) A butcher knife.
(d) A switch blade knife.

12. What important facts are revealed about the circumstances of the defendant's life by the juror who votes "not guilty" in the first round of voting?
(a) He is an orphan and member of a minority group.
(b) He has been in and out of prison for stealing cars.
(c) He has had a difficult life in a ghetto; his mother is dead and his father has beaten him regularly.
(d) He has had a difficult life in a ghetto without a father.

13. How does the dissenting juror explain the defendant's record of violence?
(a) He says the defendant has been conditioned this way by living in the ghetto.
(b) He says the defendant has been wayward because of bad company.
(c) He says the defendant was left by his mother as a child.
(d) He says the defendant has an abusive father who has beaten him since he was a young boy.

14. According to the defendant, why did he buy the alleged murder weapon?
(a) Because his father beat him.
(b) Because he lost the one he had before.
(c) To give it as a present to his friend.
(d) Because the one he had before was stolen.

15. What does the behavior of most of the jurors demonstrate about the decisions reached by juries?
(a) They only reach verdicts after protracted arguments and conflict.
(b) If at least one juror is reliable, the others can be influenced.
(c) They are always reliable.
(d) They might be affected by factors that have nothing to do with the evidence.

Short Answer Questions

1. What information does Juror Seven provide about the history of the defendant?

2. In the beginning of the deliberations, how do most of the jurors demonstrate a lack of seriousness about their role as jurors?

3. After eleven jurors vote "guilty" and one juror votes "not guilty", what process do the jurors decide on in order to resolve the matter?

4. How does the prosecution help to establish for the jury that the eyewitness was in a position to see the murder?

5. After the knife discussion, how do the other jurors pressure the dissenting juror to make him change his vote?

(see the answer keys)

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