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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 two jurors are moved by the discovery that the old man would have taken longer than he said to move from his bed to the door after hearing the noise upstairs?

2. How does Juror Eight get the others to realize that the defendant might not have killed his father although he said "I'm gonna kill you"?

3. How does Juror Nine justify his insights about the old man?

4. Which two jurors are moved by the discovery about the timing involved in the old man's story?

5. How does the timing described in the old man's testimony affect the jurors' analysis?

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

3. How do the jurors seek to verify some of the old man's testimony?

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

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

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

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

8. Identify the major themes illustrated in Act II, and give brief explanations of how each theme is brought out.

9. What important contributions does Juror Nine make to the deliberations in Act II?

10. How and why do the discussions of the old man and the alleged threats made by the defendant affect one of the jurors?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The play is essentially a story about the legal concept of "reasonable doubt". How is this theme introduced and developed, and what part does "reasonable doubt" play in the final outcome?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the roles of the three most active minor characters in "Twelve angry men". To what extent do they contribute to conflict in the play and how do they assist in the resolution of such conflict?

Essay Topic 3

Select one of the scenes in which the jurors stage an event or portion of testimony from the trial in order to verify details. Discuss in detail the contribution made by the selected scene to action, suspense, tension and conflict, or its resolution in the play.

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