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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. Who invites the women to come up to the fire in the beginning of Trifles?

2. What does Mrs. Hale notice about Mrs. Wright’s stitching on her sewing in one section?

3. Where does Mrs. Hale begin to sit but then steps back while the women are alone downstairs?

4. Mrs. Hale tells Mrs. Peters, “If I was you, I wouldn’t tell her” what?

5. What word does Mrs. Hale refer to Mr. Wright as, which indicates that he was tight with money?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is discovered by Mrs. Peters in the stitching of Mrs. Wright's quilt?

2. What does Mrs. Hale regard of Mrs. Wright's clothing?

3. What comment is made regarding the kitchen before the men depart upstairs? Why is this significant?

4. What does Mrs. Hale discover in the box in Mrs. Wright's sewing basket? How do the women respond?

5. How does Mrs. Hale defend the suspect's dirty kitchen? What does Mr. Henderson regard this to be?

6. How do the men in the play respond to Mrs. Wright's worry over her preserves?

7. What leads Mr. Henderson to the conclusion that Mrs. Wright is a bad housekeeper?

8. When does Mrs. Hale ask Mrs. Peters her opinion on the guilt of Mrs. Wright? What is her reply?

9. What happens after Mr. Hale finishes his story of the previous day's events?

10. How does Trifles reflect women’s roles during Susan Glaspell’s lifetime?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the use of exposition in A Jury of Her Peers. In a linear plot, where does the exposition generally fall in a story? How does this traditional plot structure apply to Trifles?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the character of Mrs. Hale and her relationship to Mrs. Wright. How does Mrs. Hale know Mrs. Wright? Are they close? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of John Wright and different qualities that lead the reader to believe Mrs. Wright killed him. Is the murder justified given the circumstances? Why or why not?

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