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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 juror who used to live by the el train, how long would the train take to pass a particular point?

2. What is the reaction to the vote taken at the end of Act 1?

3. What starts the physical confrontation between two jurors in Act II?

4. What do the actions of Juror Nine in Act II reveal about his character?

5. How does the timing described in the old man's testimony affect the jurors' analysis?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is irony used by the writer in the confrontation between Juror Three and Juror Eight? What is the result?

2. After the uproar following Juror three's accusation about which juror changes his vote in Act II, what do the jurors proceed to do?

3. How do the jurors seek to verify some of the old man's testimony?

4. Referring to events in Act II, track the process by which Juror three is established as the antagonist.

5. What evidence of preconceived notions and prejudice does the writer present in Act II?

6. As the jurors assess whether the old man told the truth in his testimony, how does Juror Nine use his own life experience to provide insight into the old man's behavior?

7. How does the writer use Act II to establish Juror Three and Juror Eight as the antagonist and the protagonist respectively?

8. In Act II, what are the immediate responses to the secret ballot taken by the eleven jurors?

9. How does the writer use the events of Act II to establish Juror Eight as the protagonist?

10. There are two "physical episodes" in Act II. Describe them briefly and comment on the purposes they serve.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Select one of the scenes in which the jurors stage an event or portion of testimony from the trial in order to verify details. Discuss in detail the contribution made by the selected scene to action, suspense, tension and conflict, or its resolution in the play.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the evolution of the adversarial relationship between Juror Three and Juror Eight. Comment on the role played by this relationship in the drama.

Essay Topic 3

There are several votes and changing of positions by individual jurors throughout the play. Discuss in detail the incidents in which jurors vote or change their votes and assess the impact which these incidents have on the dramatic quality of the play.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,594 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample