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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. How does Juror Three justify his assertion that the defendant must have meant it when he said "I'm going to kill you"?

2. As the jurors discuss "reasonable doubt", why does Juror Nine become more and more uneasy?

3. What attribute is consistently demonstrated by Juror Eight which helps the other jurors to unravel the case?

4. What does Juror Eight explain to the juror who asks who killed the man if it was not the defendant?

5. How do some members of the jury respond to those who disagree?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do the tone and mood of the play vary as Act II develops from the result of the second vote to the taking of the third vote?

3. What controversy occurs after Juror Nine shares his insights about the old man in Act II?

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

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

6. What do the events of Act II demonstrate about the group and about the influence of Juror Eight?

7. Referring to events in Act II, track the process by which Juror Eight is established as the protagonist.

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

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

10. As the jurors contemplate the evidence given by the woman across the street, how does a comment from Juror Eight complicate the discussion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Juror Nine become an ally of Juror Eight? Discuss the similarities and differences in the characters of these two jurors that account for the alliance that develops between them.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the play there is no reference to the names of any of the characters. The defendant is referred to as 'the boy' and the witnesses as the 'old man' and 'the lady across the street'. The jurors are given numbers to differentiate them. Discuss the reasons for the writer's decision to do this and comment on the impact of this technique on the play.

Essay Topic 3

What are the attributes that contribute to the ability of individuals to change the course of events in a group? To what extent do individual jurors display these attributes in "Twelve angry Men"?

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