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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Scene 2, Act 4, Lincoln receives a letter from his old friend, Seth Gale. What is Gale worrying about?
(a) Gale's property taxes are going sky-high to pay for liberation of the slaves.
(b) The prospect of his father's death and the debts he will inherit.
(c) The possible annexation of Texas, which would result in the extension of slavery through all the territories.
(d) His wife's increasingly bizarre behavior.

2. What is the subject of the speech Lincoln is studying in the first scene?
(a) The right of states to secede from the Union; the speaker approves.
(b) South Carolina's decision to break away from North Carolina; the speaker approves.
(c) The upcoming union of North and South; the speaker objects.
(d) The right of states to secede from the Union; the speaker objects.

3. What is the purpose of Edwards' visit to New Salem in Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) To bring law and order to New Salem.
(b) To recruit Lincoln to run for the State Assembly.
(c) To look at the Rutledge Tavern as an investment.
(d) To announce his own run for the presidency.

4. What do Josh Speed and Bowling Green think might be the result, if slavery spreads further across the South?
(a) The British would reassert power over the colonies.
(b) Lincoln could be drafted to head the military.
(c) The South could overthrow the existing government and move the Capitol to Virginia.
(d) Civil war might break out.

5. What characteristics make Mary Todd a good catch in the eyes of most people?
(a) She's smart, cultivated and the daughter of a bank president.
(b) She speaks French, cooks Italian and comes from a line of English royalty.
(c) She is exceedingly beautiful and has a shy, retiring demeanor.
(d) She's highly educated and would make a good Secretary of State.

6. What does Lincoln see on the boat from Quincy to Alton that shocks him?
(a) A dozen negroes, chained together, being shipped South to be sold.
(b) A dozen dancing girls, chained together, forced to entertain passengers.
(c) A dozen mules on shore, chained and being flogged.
(d) A woman with 12 children, begging for food.

7. What does Lincoln do that impresses Ninian Edwards in Act 1, Scene 2?
(a) Lincoln punches a bully who is threatening Ann Rutledge.
(b) Lincoln diffuses the tension with the Clancy Groves boys.
(c) Lincoln announces there is free pie in the town square.
(d) Lincoln gets everyone's attention by firing his pistol at the ceiling.

8. Who is President during the time represented in Act 2, Scene 4?
(a) Winston Churchill.
(b) Thomas Jefferson.
(c) Harrison Ford.
(d) Martin Van Buren.

9. What is Bowling Green's attitude toward the possibility of Lincoln marrying Ann Rutledge?
(a) He is against the marriage; he knows Ann has been seeing someone else.
(b) He's all for the marriage; he thinks Ann will keep Lincoln on track.
(c) Judge Green is against it; he thinks Ann will be a hindrance to Lincoln.
(d) He's for the marriage; Ann's family has a lot of money to spend on campaigns.

10. Does Lincoln agree, in Act 2, Scene 6, with Josh's suggestion about his mental health?
(a) No, he believes he has good reasons for his decision.
(b) Yes, he knows he is losing his mind--that's why he wants to run away.
(c) He isn't sure, but he admits having hallucinations.
(d) Yes, he says he's at the end of his rope and must have release from the wedding.

11. What does Mary Todd say when asked in Act. 2, Scene 5, if she is considering marriage to Lincoln?
(a) "That is the most repulsive idea I've ever heard."
(b) "I am determined to marry Stephen Douglas."
(c) "I have never given that idea a moment's thought."
(d) "I have decided I shall be Mrs. Lincoln."

12. Who are the main characters in the first scene of the play?
(a) Abe Lincoln and Mentor Graham.
(b) Abe Lincoln and Seth Gale.
(c) Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln.
(d) Mentor Graham, Seth Gale and Mary Todd Lincoln.

13. What is the setting of the first scene of Abe Lincoln in Illinois?
(a) A log cabin in the woods of Missouri.
(b) A riverboat on the mighty Mississippi.
(c) A tavern in Springfield.
(d) A cabin near New Salem, Illionois, which belongs to Lincoln's teacher.

14. What happens at the end of Act 2, Scene 4 that proves Lincoln's claim that he is a social success?
(a) Josh Speed introduces Lincoln to his sister.
(b) Ninian Edwards invites Lincoln home for dinner.
(c) Mary Todd sends Lincoln a thank-you note for a pleasant evening the previous week.
(d) Nancy Green accepts a job as his social secretary to keep track of his dates.

15. What is the setting of Act 2, Scene 5 and what does it convey about the occupants?
(a) The setting is Lincoln's log cabin and it conveys a feeling of bachelor solitude.
(b) The setting is a grand ballroom and it conveys the gala celebration of political victory.
(c) The setting is the parlor of Ninian Edwards' home and it conveys a comfortable upper-class life.
(d) The setting is Ninian Edwards' home and it conveys a sense of genteel poverty.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Lincoln arrives at the Edwards' home in Act 2, Scene 5, does he sense tension between Mary Todd and her sister?

2. Why can't Lincoln bring himself to shoot a deer?

3. How does Lincoln jokingly describe, in Act 2, Scene 5, the act of defending a murder suspect?

4. In Scene 2, Act 4, what office is Lincoln seeking?

5. What is the weather, as the Greens sit in their parlor, waiting for Abe to return from Ann Rutledge's home?

(see the answer keys)

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