The Crucible, Act IV by Arthur Miller
Vocabulary Warm-up Word Lists
Study these words from the selection. Then, complete the activities.
Word List A
adamant [AD uh muhnt] adj. unyielding; unrelenting
We tried to persuade Eric not to sail in gusty weather, but he was adamant.
bellow [BEL oh] v. to roar or cry out loudly
We heard several cows bellow as they returned from pasture.
contention [kuhn TEN shuhn] n. dispute; argument; rivalry
There is much contention around school about who should run for office.
embodiment [em BAHD ee muhnt] n. concrete expression of an idea or quality
On the basketball court, Teresa is the embodiment of agility and grace.
mute [MYOOT] adj. silent
When the enemy questioned the prisoners about the troops, they were mute.
nudges [NUJ uhz] v. pokes gently
If Patrick wants the dog to get up, he nudges it slightly with his foot.
reprieve [ree PREEV] n. temporary relief; postponement of a punishment
The judge refused to grant the defendant any reprieve from the prison term.
righteous [RYT chuhs] adj. just; upright; virtuous
Judges must be righteous in order to retain their good standing in the courts.
Word List B
beguile [bee GYL] v. to trick
We tried to beguile the cat to come indoors by shaking the box of cat food.
conciliatory [kahn SIL ee uh tohr ee] adj. eager for peace or reconciliation
We would like to reconcile with Steve, so please be conciliatory.
disputation [dis pyoo TAY shuhn] n. disagreement; argument
I had hoped for a calm, quiet evening, but Sally seemed bent on disputation.
gaunt [GAWNT] adj. thin and bony
After a two-week hiking trip, they looked extremely thin, almost gaunt.
inaudibly [in AWD uh blee] adv. silently; in a way that cannot be heard
Sarah and Luke whispered almost inaudibly.
penitence [PEN i tens] n. sorrow for sin, wrong, or misdoing
In the Middle Ages, some people went on pilgrimages as penitence.
retaliation [ree tal ee AY shuhn] n. returning wrong for wrong; revenge
Mike was hurt by Joe’s remark, but he did not indulge in retaliation.
stench [STENCH] n. foul smell
The dead fish had been on the dock for days, and the stench was unpleasant.
Unit 5 Resources: Prosperity and Protest
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
274
Name
Date
The Crucible, Act IV by Arthur Miller
Vocabulary Warm-up Exercises
Exercise A
Fill in the blanks, using each word from Word List A only once.
My friend Hal is the incarnation or [1]
of the aggressive, successful
high school debater. Hal is never happier than when two rival teams are in
for a trophy or championship. At a crucial debate, he will sit
[2]
quietly behind his desk, remaining [3]
as his opponents make their
arguments. Then Hal [4]
his partner lightly on the arm. His team-
mate agrees that they will not give the opposition any [5]
Hal rises to deliver his speech, he inevitably seems [6]
. When
, full of good
will and common sense. As he drives home his points, however, it would be fair to
describe him as [7]
and unwilling to accept any concessions from
the other side. Starting out in a low but persuasive voice, it is not unusual for Hal to
his final point in the conclusion of his speech. Whatever you
[8]
think of Hal’s tactics, it’s clear he is a successful debater: He had won seven championship trophies.
Exercise B
Decide whether each statement below is true or false. Circle T or F, and explain
your answer.
1. If you suspect that people beguile you, you become wary of a trick.
T/F
2. Someone in a conciliatory mood refuses the chance for a reconciliation.
T/F
3. A disputation among various parties involves discord and disagreement.
T/F
4. Someone who looks gaunt may not have been getting sufficient food and sleep.
T/F
5. A person who speaks inaudibly can be heard by everyone in a large auditorium.
T/F
6. Penitence for wrongdoing requires sincere regret.
T/F
7. To take retaliation on others is a form of revenge.
T/F
8. Most people find a stench appealing.
T/F
Unit 5 Resources: Prosperity and Protest
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
275
Name
Date
The Crucible, Act IV by Arthur Miller
Reading Warm-up A
Read the following passage. Pay special attention to the underlined words. Then, read it again,
and complete the activities. Use a separate sheet of paper for your written answers.
No one understood why Maggie was making such a big
deal about the girls’ volleyball team. They never drew
much of an audience and usually had to struggle to find
enough players. The boys’ basketball team had just gotten new sweat suits, uniforms, and matching shoes,
while the volleyball team had to make do with ragged old
jerseys from ten years ago. Maggie was adamant that the
girls’ teams should receive equal treatment.
She spoke up in the middle of the school assembly,
full of righteous conviction. The other students were so
puzzled by her words that they remained mute at first;
the auditorium was silent when she finished speaking.
Then, a few boys began to giggle and nudged each other
on the arm, making fun of Maggie’s seriousness. To
them, she seemed like the embodiment of jealousy, a silly
person who liked to complain.
“I think you make a valid point,” said the principal,
Mr. Beale. He then explained, however, that a private
donor, Slocum Heating and Oil, had donated the new
shoes and uniforms for the boys’ team. For many people
in the auditorium, including the girls, this seemed to
clinch the argument, but Maggie would give them no
reprieve. Her contention was that private donations had
no place in a public school. Then she argued that if the
school was going to accept such a donation, it was the
school’s responsibility to see that the girls’ teams
received equal support.
“Sit down and be quiet!” yelled a boy in the back row.
Then a few more boys began to bellow in the same way.
Maggie’s face turned red with anger and embarrassment,
but she would not sit down. Eventually, she got Mr.
Beale to promise that the volleyball team would get new
uniforms.
Unit 5 Resources: Prosperity and Protest
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
276
1. Underline the words in this
sentence and in the first sentence of the paragraph that
give a clue to the meaning of
adamant. Use the word
adamant in a sentence.
2. Circle the words that give
a clue to the meaning of
righteous. What are two
synonyms for righteous?
3. Underline the clue to the
meaning of mute. Use a word
meaning the opposite of
mute in a sentence.
4. Circle the words that offer a
clue to the meaning of
nudged here. What is a synonym for nudged?
5. Circle the words that offer
clues to the meaning of the
word embodiment. Use this
word in sentence.
6. Underline the words in this
and the next sentence that
give a clue to the meaning of
reprieve. What are two synonyms for reprieve?
7. Circle the clues to the meaning
of contention in this sentence. Use the word
contention in a sentence.
8. Underline the words in this
and the previous sentence
that hint at the meaning of
bellow. What is an antonym
for bellow?
Name
Date
The Crucible, Act IV by Arthur Miller
Reading Warm-up B
Read the following passage. Pay special attention to the underlined words. Then, read it again,
and complete the activities. Use a separate sheet of paper for your written answers.
In 1996, more than 40 years after The Crucible was first
performed, the director Nicholas Hytner made the first
English-language motion picture version of Miller’s play.
The film starred Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Joan
Allen as Elizabeth, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, and
Paul Scofield as Judge Danforth. Arthur Miller wrote the
screenplay.
There was little disagreement or disputation among
the critics, who warmly praised the film version. Winona
Ryder was singled out for her interpretation of Abigail as
a character of complex motivations. On one level, Abigail
acts out of retaliation against John and Elizabeth, wishing to revenge herself for John’s rejection. Abigail can
thus beguile the court into accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. On another level, however, Ryder interprets Abigail
as appalled when events spin out of control. Late in the
film, Abigail’s eyes inaudibly express her horror. She
does not, of course, become openly more conciliatory or
retract her accusations; it is too late for that. However,
her gaunt and almost haunted expression hint at a certain degree of regret, or even penitence, for her actions.
One of Arthur Miller’s universal themes in The Crucible
is the challenge to the individual of retaining self-respect
when society seems bent on destroying it. This is the reason for John Proctor’s most important decision in the
play. For Proctor, the soiling of his reputation would
amount to an everlasting foul odor, or stench, surrounding his name. This is why he refuses to sign the false confession that Danforth extracts from him. It is another
virtue of the film version that this theme comes through
loud and clear, thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis’s excellent
performance.
1. Underline the words that give
a clue to the meaning of
disputation. Write a sentence
of your own using the word
disputation.
2. Circle the words in this sentence that give a clue to the
meaning of retaliation. What
is an antonym for retaliation?
3. What are two synonyms for
beguile?
4. Underline the words in this
sentence that give a clue to
the meaning of inaudibly.
Use a word meaning the
opposite of inaudibly in a
sentence of your own.
5. Circle the words in this sentence that give a clue to
the meaning of the word
conciliatory. Use a word
meaning the opposite of
conciliatory in a sentence of
your own.
6. Underline the words in this
sentence that offer a clue to
the meaning of gaunt. What
are two synonyms for gaunt?
7. Circle the word in this sentence that hints at the meaning of penitence. Use the
word penitence in an original
sentence.
8. Circle the words in this sentence that hint at the meaning of the word stench.
Unit 5 Resources: Prosperity and Protest
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
277