The Crucible Act 1 Study Guide (questions with correct answers extracted from act 1) 2023
As the play begins, why has Reverend Parris sent for a doctor? - ANS His daughter Betty is "sick" - as if in a coma
What advice does the doctor send back? - ANS That he can find no medical reason for her illness, and he should look for an "unnatural reason."
What does Reverend Parris question Abigail about? - ANS If her name in the village is "white" - meaning, is her reputation good.
What is Parris 'main concern? - ANS His reputation as a minister and material possessions.
What/Who did Parris see in the woods the night before? - ANS He saw Abigail, Betty and other girls dancing in the woods.
What has Elizabeth Proctor said about Abigail? - ANS Elizabeth knows that Abigail and her husband had an affair, so she fired her from their service. Abigail believes that Elizabeth has spread "rumors" about the affair.
Why does Abigail say she was dismissed by the Proctors'? - ANS She claims that she was dismissed because she refused to be treated like a slave. She calls Elizabeth a "...bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman..."
What rumors have circulated about Betty Parris? What proof later occurs that "proves" that she is a witch? - ANS Villagers say they saw her flying over a barn. When Betty has a fit as people downstairs sing a psalm (a religious song), Mrs. Putnam claims that Betty cannot bear to hear the Lord's name because she is a witch.
Why did Mrs. Putnam contact Tituba? - ANS She has lost 7 children in childbirth and wants to know who is "killing" her babies.
Who does Abigail accuse of conjuring spirits at this point? - ANS Tituba
What does Betty Parris reveal about what happened in the woods? - ANS Betty reveals that Abigail drank blood as a charm to kill Elizabeth.
What threat does Abigail make to the other girls? - ANS She threatens to "...come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." In other words, she threatens to hurt them physically if they tell.
- / 1