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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. Which of the jurors comment that they all had difficult lives, so a difficult life should not explain the defendant's history of violence?

2. According to the discussion, what kind of relationship exists between the victim and the defendant?

3. Which juror asks the guard to bring in the murder weapon for closer examination?

4. How does the defendant account for the fact that after the murder he does not have the weapon he bought?

5. What kind of man is the dissenting juror?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Juror Three present in an attempt to draw the jurors' attention to the "facts of the case"?

2. What additional suggestion does Juror Four make in Act I to support his assertion that the defendant is guilty?

3. On what point do Juror Eight and Juror Four agree concerning the performance of the defendant's lawyer? How do they differ?

4. What information do the jurors share about the defendant in the beginning of their discussion?

5. When Juror Two states that the defendant is guilty because no one proved his innocence, the writer uses the opportunity to establish two important principles of due process. What are these principles and why does the writer have Juror Eight explain them?

6. What is the defendant's alibi and how does Juror Four respond to it?

7. What additional evidence that incriminates the defendant does Juror Three present to the jury in Act I?

8. How do the jurors respond to the defendant's explanation of his purchase of the knife and the fact that he cannot produce it?

9. What is Juror Eight's response to the declaration of Juror Sevel about the defendant's criminal record?

10. How does the old man's testimony implicate the defendant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In adapting plays and novels for screen, producers and directors often make significant changes to the themes, characters and plot lines of the original. Having studied this play in detail, evaluate the assertion that the themes, characters and plot lines of "Twelve Angry Men" would have to be significantly modified to be a successful production for screen.

Essay Topic 2

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"?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the view that "Twelve Angry Men" is a vehicle through which Reginald Rose vindicates rather than destroys the legitimacy of the jury system as a means of securing justice.

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