Name: ______

The Crucible

Act II Study Guide

Please review and know the definitions for the following words. You should be able to use these words in a sentence. These words will appear in the text of The Crucible and on your quiz over Act II.

  1. Reprimand (verb): to scold in a formal way; to discipline formally
  2. Indignant (adjective): feeling or showing anger at what is perceived to be unfair treatment; resentful; annoyed; irritated
  3. Magistrate (noun): a civil official with the authority to enforce the law
  4. Poppet (noun): a small, hand sewn doll
  5. Crone (noun): an old woman
  6. Concede (verb): to grant or yield a right or privilege; to give in unwillingly
  7. Ordained (adjective): appointed to a position of power in religious life; having taken religious orders
  8. Falter (verb): to hesitate
  9. Blasphemy (noun): a profane statement, usually against God or religion
  10. Base (adjective): having low moral standards
  11. Calamity (noun): a disaster
  12. Lechery (noun): lustfulness; unrestrained indulgence of sexual desires
  13. Draught (noun): a long drink, usually of an alcoholic beverage
  14. Basin (noun): an open, shallow round container used for holding liquid
  15. Hypocrisy (noun): the practice of CLAIMING to have high moral standards or beliefs but not conforming or following those standards in behavior; pretense

Reading questions—answer the following questions while you read to keep you involved in the text and to help you remember important characters and actions.

  1. From the beginning of Act II, what can you tell about the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor?
  1. How does the audience learn what is happening in the town since the end of Act I?
  1. What do John and Elizabeth know about the court proceedings and the truth behind the “witchcraft”?
  1. What does John say is keeping him from telling the court what he knows? What do you think is the real reason?
  1. How does Mary Warren behave differently from her actions in Act I?
  1. How does John Proctor treat Mary Warren?
  1. Do you think that Mary Warren believes she and the other girls are bewitched? Cite lines from the play to support your opinion.
  1. How does Mary save herself from whipping?
  1. Who does Elizabeth assume accused her of witchcraft?
  1. Why does Elizabeth want John to go see Abigail? What does she mean when she says, “You have a faulty understanding of young girls. There is a promise made in any bed—Spoken or silent a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now…”
  1. When Reverend Hale visits, what three things seem to go against John and Elizabeth that make Hale doubt their Christian character?
  1. What are the Proctors’ feelings about the existence of witches in general? What does John say? What does Elizabeth say?
  1. What test of faith does Hale give to John Proctor? How does John fare?
  1. What crime has Rebecca Nurse been charged with?
  1. What proof is there that Martha Corey is a witch?
  1. What connection is there between the poppet given to Elizabeth by Mary Warren and Elizabeth’s arrest?
  1. Explain the following quotations, spoken by Proctor:
  2. “Is the accuser always holy now?”
  1. “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem—vengeance is walking Salem.”
  1. “We are what we always were, but naked now.”
  1. What does Mary claim will happen if she supports Proctor in court?