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The Crucible
by
Arthur Miller
A Study Guide
Supporting Common Core Standards and Bloom’s
Taxonomy
by
Constance D. Casserly
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The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Study Guide
Act I
1. Where and when is the play set?
2. What does Abigail confess to Reverend Parris?
3. What is wrong with Betty Parris?
4. For whom does Abigail work? Whose niece is she?
5. For whom does Mercy Lewis work?
6. For whom does Mary Warren work?
7. How do Rev. Parris' parishioners feel about him?
8. What is John Proctor's attitude toward Parris?
9. What were the girls doing in the woods with Tituba?
10. Thus far, which people feel that witchcraft exists and which do not?
11. What does it mean when Betty can't stand to hear the Lord's name?
12. Who is John Hale? Why has he come to the Parris home?
13. What is the conflict between Putnam and Proctor about?
14. What does Mrs. Putnam believe caused the death of her seven children?
15. What are Parris' feelings toward his congregation?
16. Why do Tituba and the girls call out names at the end of this act? What does Tituba confess
and why?
17. Why did Mrs. Putnam send her daughter, Ruth, to see Tituba?
18. Why would the Devil want Rev. Parris' daughter?
19. What does Giles Corey say disturbs him about his wife? How is Corey described?
20. According to Miller, what caused the witch-hunts? How does he describe the witch-hunts?
Act II
1. What is the setting of this act?
2. What does Elizabeth want John to do?
3. Why has John been trying so hard to please his wife these last seven months?
4. Why does Mary Warren say that she had to be in Salem all day?
5. What does Mary bring to Elizabeth?
6. Why does Elizabeth want John to go see Abigail?
7. Why is Rev. Hale going from house to house?
8. Why does John tell Hale that he would testify that Abigail was not really involved with
witchcraft?
9. With what has Rebecca Nurse been charged?
10. With what has Martha Corey been charged?
11. With what does Cheever charge Elizabeth?
12. What does Elizabeth say that makes them take her away?
13. Why will Elizabeth not believe in witches?
14. Since the aged Goody Good has been declared pregnant, who is being implicated as the
father?
15. Why has Goody Osburn been convicted?
16. At this point, who does Rev. Hale believe is telling the truth- the Proctors or the court?
17. What is the irony in the fact that John Proctor misses the adultery commandment?
18. How does Elizabeth explain that her name has been called out in court?
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19. What has Abigail suffered from that very night? What was her plan?
20. At the end of this act, what does John want Mary Warren to do?
Act III
1. Where does this act take place?
2. Why is Giles Corey appearing in court?
3. How do you see Rev. Hale beginning to change?
4. Describe Danforth as a judge.
5. Why do Giles and John bring depositions to court?
6. What does the judge reveal about Elizabeth Proctor? Why doesn't John drop his charges
against Mary Warren when told of this news?
7. Who does Rev. Parris support?
8. Why does Giles Corey refuse to reveal the names of the witnesses against Putnam?
9. For what reason is Giles Corey put in jail?
10. What conditions do Hathorne and Proctor agree on regarding Elizabeth's testimony?
11. Why does Elizabeth deny her husband's lechery with Abigail?
12. How does Elizabeth find out the truth about her husband?
13. How does Abigail force Mary Warren to take up the deception and the lying in court?
14. What falsehood does Mary Warren tell, under force, about John Proctor?
15. Who quits the court? What change has this man gone through since the beginning of the
trials?
16. What motivates John Proctor to claim that God is dead and vengeance is walking in Salem?
17. As a result of the girls' behavior, of what does Mary accuse Proctor?
18. What does Proctor say when Danforth asks him if he has "trafficked with the devil"?
Act IV
1. What is the setting of this act?
2. What are Sarah Good and Tituba planning to do?
3. Who has come back to plead with the prisoners to confess and save their lives?
4. What does Rev. Parris say has happened to Abigail and Mercy Lewis?
5. According to Parris, what has been happening in Andover?
6. According to Parris, why must Danforth and Hathorne give Hale more time with the
prisoners?
7. According to Hale, why has he come back?
8. Why do they call Elizabeth to the cell?
9. How has Giles Corey died?
10. Why has he chosen to die this way? How has he saved his farm for his children?
11. How does Elizabeth respond when John tells her that he might confess?
12. What is John's reasoning for deciding to confess?
13. What does John say when they want him to associate other people with the Devil?
14. Why is John hesitant about signing the paper?
15. Why does he take the paper back and rip it up?
16. Why does Elizabeth say that she will not try to stop John from going to the gallows?
17.Why are orphans wandering from house to house and abandoned cows wandering in the
roads?
18. How does Rev. Hale feel about what he is asking these Christians to do?
19. What does Rebecca's refusal to confess say about her character?
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General questions
1. What is a crucible?
2. What is the significance of the title?
3. Are the girls insane? If not, why do they act as they do?
4. What is the major conflict in the play? Give both the kind of conflict and the specific conflict.
5. What is the theme of The Crucible?
6. Could a similar situation happen today (reputations ruined by innuendo)? Why or why not?
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The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Study Guide (Answer Key)
Act I
1. Where and when is the play set?
Salem, Massachusetts, 1692
2. What does Abigail confess to Reverend Parris?
That she was dancing in the woods with Tituba and other girls.
3. What is wrong with Betty Parris?
She is in a comatose state, not moving, speaking or eating.
4. For whom does Abigail work? Whose niece is she?
Abigail used to work for John Proctor’s family; for the last seven months, she hasn’t worked
anywhere. She is Reverend Parris’s niece.
5. For whom does Mercy Lewis work?
She works for the Putnam family.
6. For whom does Mary Warren work?
She works for the Proctor family.
7. How do Rev. Parris' parishioners feel about him?
Most fear him because ministers hold such power, so they try to stay on his good side.
8. What is John Proctor's attitude toward Parris?
John Proctor feels that he is greedy and not as godly as he puts on. He dislikes his hellfire and
damnation approach to religion and feels that the minister doesn’t speak God’s name as often as
he should.
9. What were the girls doing in the woods with Tituba?
They were dancing, singing and playing at preparing charms. Abigail drank chicken blood.
10. Thus far, which people feel that witchcraft exists and which do not?
Reverend Parris, the Putnam’s do; Corey Giles questions why is wife reads so much and
wonders what she is reading. Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor do not believe in it and Rev. Hale
doesn’t know what to believe, yet.
11. What does it mean when Betty can't stand to hear the Lord's name?
To those who believe in witchcraft, it means that she is possessed by the Devil and that is why
she can’t stand to hear the Lord’s name. In reality, she is probably feeling guilty over her actions
and her shame at disobeying her religion’s tenets is exacerbated when she hears His name.
12. Who is John Hale? Why has he come to the Parris home?
He is a minister from Beverly, Massachusetts and is widely educated about witchcraft and the
unknown world. He has come to see if witchcraft is being practiced in Salem.
13. What is the conflict between Putnam and Proctor about?
Basically John Proctor dislikes Thomas Putnam. Proctor feels that Putnam is land hungry and
professes that acreage abutting his neighbors is his when it isn’t. Proctor also thinks Putnam
feels that the Putnam family name should be revered and that the man uses it to gain power.
14. What does Mrs. Putnam believe caused the death of her seven children?
She thinks that they were murdered by the Devil through his followers in Salem.
15. What are Parris' feelings toward his congregation?
He fears their rejection of him judges those who do not follow their religion exactly how he
preaches it.
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16. Why do Tituba and the girls call out names at the end of this act? What does Tituba confess
and why?
They do this to deflect any more questions about their antics in the woods; they fear others will
find out that some of them were dancing naked, and that they were playing at witchcraft. Tituba
confesses because all of the browbeating and harsh questioning frightens her. Also, as a black
slave from Barbados, she knows that some townspeople fear her because she is different. For all
of these reasons, she is terrified and tells them what they want to hear, even if it isn’t true.
17. Why did Mrs. Putnam send her daughter, Ruth, to see Tituba?
She wants to find out if Tituba knew or could find out why seven of her children died in their
infancy.
18. Why would the Devil want Rev. Parris' daughter?
He wants to show that he has power over God’s men on earth.
19. What does Giles Corey say disturbs him about his wife? How is Corey described?
He is upset that his wife reads so much and won’t tell him the names of the books.
20. According to Miller, what caused the witch-hunts? How does he describe the witch-hunts?
He feels that a number of reasons are behind witch-hunts, but that basically people fear what
they don’t understand. This makes them insecure about their own beliefs or places in society, so
are quick to condemn peoples’ thoughts or actions. Also, many people are suspicious of their
neighbors if the latter don’t believe and act as they do. Also, some people, like Putnam and Parris
(and Senator Joseph McCarthy) are power-hungry. Miller describes both the Salem and the
McCarthy witch-hunts as “periods of terror and persecution.”
Act II
1. What is the setting of this act?
The common room of the Proctor’s house, eight days after the opening scene of Act I.
2. What does Elizabeth want John to do?
She wants her husband to go to the court and tell them that the girls’ actions are fraudulent.
3. Why has John been trying so hard to please his wife these last seven months?
He feels guilty because he had an affair with Abigail.
4. Why does Mary Warren say that she had to be in Salem all day?
She says that she is an official of the court.
5. What does Mary bring to Elizabeth?
A rag doll (a poppet) that she had made that afternoon.
6. Why does Elizabeth want John to go see Abigail?
She wants John to convince Abigail to tell the court that she and her friends named names only
as a sport, and that none of what she said was true. Mrs. Proctor also wants John to tell Abigail
that she is a whore.
7. Why is Rev. Hale going from house to house?
He wants to find out how devout they all are about their religion.
8. Why does John tell Hale that he would testify that Abigail was not really involved with
witchcraft?
He wants to save all of the women that Abigail falsely accused.
9. With what has Rebecca Nurse been charged?
Rebecca Nurse has been charged with the murder of Goody Putnam’s babies.
10. With what has Martha Corey been charged?
Martha Corey is charged with bewitching Farmer Wolcott’s pigs with spells from her books.
11. With what does Cheever charge Elizabeth?
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He charges Elizabeth with attempted murder by using witchcraft to stick a needle into Abigail’s
stomach.
12. What does Elizabeth say that makes them take her away?
In anger, Elizabeth cried out that she wanted Abigail to be, “…ripped from this world.”
13. Why will Elizabeth not believe in witches?
She feels that all of the people who spend their lives obeying God by doing good works could
not be serving the Devil, too.
14. Since the aged Goody Good has been declared pregnant, who is being implicated as the
father?
People gossip that the Devil must be the father, because she is too old to bear children and she
has never been married.
15. Why has Goody Osborn been convicted?
Along with Tituba and Sarah Good, Goody Osborn was accused of making Ruth and Betty sick
through the use of witchcraft.
16. At this point, who does Rev. Hale believe is telling the truth- the Proctors or the court?
At this point, Hale backs the courts. He feels that the confessions are proof that Abigail is being
honest in her accusations of the women.
17. What is the irony in the fact that John Proctor misses the adultery commandment?
The irony stems from the fact that he committed adultery when he had his affair with Abigail.
Naturally, his actions make him want to forget that adultery is a sin.
18. How does Elizabeth explain that her name has been called out in court?
She says that Abigail wants her dead so she can become John’s wife.
19. What has Abigail suffered from that very night? What was her plan?
She falls to the floor during dinner and then pulls a needle fro where it was stuck in her stomach.
She cries out that Elizabeth Proctor did this because she wants her (Abigail) dead. Her plan was
to have Elizabeth arrested for witchcraft and taken to jail so that she could marry John Proctor.
20. At the end of this act, what does John want Mary Warren to do?
He wants her to tell the court about Abigail’s plotting and lies and wants her to confess her part
in the treachery.
Act III
1. Where does this act take place?
It takes place in the vestry room of the Salem Meeting House where Court is being held.
2. Why is Giles Corey appearing in court?
He is bringing proof that Putnam wants his land as well as that of some of his neighbors,
therefore Putnam accuses someone in the family who has the land that he desires of witchcraft so
that person will go to jail and forfeit the land which Putnam will confiscate..
3. How do you see Rev. Hale beginning to change?
He sees the truth of what Corey, Proctor and Francis Nurse are saying and fears that the judges
are jumping to conclusions of on the basis of false assumptions.
4. Describe Danforth as a judge.
He tries to be honest and fair, but his concern that the trials will be looked at as a mockery if he
accepts the men’s proof, thereby besmirching his name, keep him from changing course at this
point. Also, he wants to believe that witchcraft has been present in Massachusetts because to do
otherwise would mean that he sent innocent people to their deaths.
5. Why do Giles and John bring depositions to court?
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Giles wants to show that Putnam’s greed for land and power is behind his accusations, and
Proctor wants to present Mary’s deposition that the girls made everything up.
6. What does the judge reveal about Elizabeth Proctor? Why doesn't John drop his charges
against Mary Warren when told of this news?
He reveals that Elizabeth Proctor is pregnant. He doesn’t drop his desire to have Mary present
her case because she is telling the truth and her story will save his wife’s life and those of many
other people sitting in jail who are falselybaccused of following the Devil.
7. Who does Rev. Parris support?
He supports the girls’ stories, and therefore, the court.
8. Why does Giles Corey refuse to reveal the names of the witnesses against Putnam?
He was given the information in confidence and will not renege on his promise to keep the
names private.
9. For what reason is Giles Corey put in jail?
He is jailed for contempt of court because he will not provide the names of the people who told
him about Putnam’s plot.
10. What conditions do Hathorne and Proctor agree on regarding Elizabeth's testimony?
They agree that they will both accept Elizabeth’s word as the truth.
11. Why does Elizabeth deny her husband's lechery with Abigail?
She doesn’t know that he told the court about his affair and wants to save his name and
reputation.
12. How does Elizabeth find out the truth about her husband?
He tells her as she is being taken back to jail.
13. How does Abigail force Mary Warren to take up the deception and the lying in court?
She pretends that Mary is a yellow bird sitting on a rafter who wants to claw her face and cries
out in fear. She and the other girls also mock Mary’s every word. Mary sees how the judges
believe that Abigail and the girls are under a spell, so she mimics their actions. She realizes that
their lies are stronger than her truths and that she will be hung for lying if she doesn’t join them.
14. What falsehood does Mary Warren tell, under force, about John Proctor?
She says that he came to her in the form of the Devil and frightened her into making up her story
that Abigail and the girls were lying all along.
15. Who quits the court? What change has this man gone through since the beginning of the
trials?
Rev. Hale quits the court. He sees it for the mockery that it is, and knows that in Salem, and
elsewhere in Massachusetts, innocent people are having their reputations ruined, spending their
lives in jail for doing nothing wrong and/or are being killed. He realizes that in the beginning, he
was using theories as truths when they had never been proven to be the honest truth.
16. What motivates John Proctor to claim that God is dead and vengeance is walking in Salem?
He says this when he realizes that the judges refuse to accept the truth for fear of losing face, and
is abhorred by their inability to admit that they were wrong.
17. As a result of the girls' behavior, of what does Mary accuse Proctor?
She accuses him of coming to her in the form of the Devil and scaring her into writing the
deposition claiming that the girls have been lying.
18. What does Proctor say when Danforth asks him if he has "trafficked with the devil"?
He says, “God is dead.”
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Act IV
1. What is the setting of this act?
Salem jail cell; it is now fall.
2. What are Sarah Good and Tituba planning to do?
They are planning to fly to Barbados when the Devil gives them feathers and wings.
3. Who has come back to plead with the prisoners to confess and save their lives?
Reverend Hale.
4. What does Rev. Parris say has happened to Abigail and Mercy Lewis?
He says that they have stolen his money and run away, maybe taken a ship somewhere.
5. According to Parris, what has been happening in Andover?
Rebellion and riots have broken out there as a result of the travesty of their witch-hunt.
6. According to Parris, why must Danforth and Hathorne give Hale more time with the
prisoners?
He wants the hangings postponed so that Hale can get one person to confess and come to God.
This will damn the other prisoners and make the townspeople feel justified in hanging them.
7. According to Hale, why has he come back?
He wants them to lie and to confess to save themselves from being hung; because they won’t,
though, he is convinced that they are innocent and the proceedings must stop.
8. Why do they call Elizabeth to the cell?
They want her to convince her husband, John, to confess so he will live.
9. How has Giles Corey died?
He was crushed to death (pressed) when huge rocks were placed on his chest.
10. Why has he chosen to die this way? How has he saved his farm for his children?
He wanted to die a Christian so his farm would be passed to his children and not be confiscated
by Putnam.
11. How does Elizabeth respond when John tells her that he might confess?
She says that she can’t and won’t judge him, that he must do what he feels in his heart is right.
12. What is John's reasoning for deciding to confess?
He feels that he is a fraud if he chooses to accept his martyrdom and die like a saint in the eyes of
those who know that these trials have been wrong.
13. What does John say when they want him to associate other people with the Devil?
He says that he saw no one with the Devil.
14. Why is John hesitant about signing the paper?
He knows that his confession is a lie, and he refuses to ruin his name (reputation) in the eyes of
those people who know that he is a good man.
15. Why does he take the paper back and rip it up?
He says that Danforth’s word alone is good enough because the judge is a member of the high
court.
16. Why does Elizabeth say that she will not try to stop John from going to the gallows?
She says that he alone must decide what course to take, that she can’t do this for him.
17. Why are orphans wandering from house to house and abandoned cows wandering in the
roads?
Their parents are in jail or have been hanged.
18. How does Rev. Hale feel about what he is asking these Christians to do?
He feels disgust with himself because he is asking them to lie and he knows that they are
innocent.
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19. What does Rebecca's refusal to confess say about her character?
Her refusal shows that she is a strong and moral person who is willing to give her life to stand on
the side of truth.
General questions (Answers will vary; these are my thoughts.)
1. What is a crucible?
A crucible is receptacle used to withstand melting metal under extreme heat.
2. What is the significance of the title?
The people who were victims of the witch-hunt had to live with the intensity of: the accusations,
the smearing of their reputations, the bloodlust of mob mentality, their passion for the well-being
of their family and friends, and the soul-searching of their beliefs and their religion for what was
right in their hearts without melting under all of the pressure.
3. Are the girls insane? If not, why do they act as they do?
No, they were not insane, especially Abigail. At first she acted out of fear of being punished for
disobeying the teachings of her Uncle Parris and her church. Then, when she realized that she
couldn’t stop the rolling stone of the witch-hunt without ruining her own reputation, she plotted
to save herself, physically and in the eyes of the townspeople. The other girls went along with
her out of fear for being punished for the dancing, etc, but also because they were too weak to
stand up to Abigail. The whole mob mentality of the situation swept them along so swiftly that
they didn’t know how to stop it and didn’t have the skills (maturity, sense of responsibility,
confidence in standing alone instead of with the crowd, etc) to do so even if they wanted to.
Mary Warren is a good example of this. I think of them as America’s first Mean Girls.
4. What is the major conflict in the play? Give both the kind of conflict and the specific conflict.
Although Man vs. Man and Man vs. Society and Man vs. the Supernatural all form huge
conflicts, the main one is Man vs. Man. Each character had to wrestle with him/herself in order
to choose a path through life that he/she could live with.
5. What is the theme of The Crucible?
Each person must decide what morals and values will guide him/her through life, and must be
willing to hold true to them no matter how difficult this may be.
6. Could a similar situation happen today (reputations ruined by innuendo)? Why or why not?
I wrote on this, but then deleted it, because for each of us, the answer is very personal. I’d rather
stick with points that can be proven by the interpretation of the book. A unit plan should be as
objective as possible. How and what teachers choose to present is up to them. I do open a
discussion where my students can talk about the importance of reputation in high schools and
how easily one’s name can be elevated or smeared. My views will come to light on my blog.
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