AnswersDRHS American Literature and CompositionThe True Story behind Trifles

The True Story behind Trifles — Unit test Answers

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In part two of Trifles, what symbolic impact is made when Susan Glaspell includes quilting as a part of Mrs. Wright’s lifestyle?

A
It reinforces the idea that Mrs. Wright fulfilled many of the roles considered common for women during this time.
B
It characterizes Mrs. Wright as someone who truly enjoyed the domestic duties expected of women during this time.
C
It casts doubt on the idea that Mrs. Wright could have killed her husband by making her appear innocent and content.
D
It heightens the tension by creating a scene of domestic bliss that would conflict with the murder being investigated.
2
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Read the quote from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.Sometimes a woman would say “I feel empty somehow . . . incomplete.” Or she would say, “I feel as if I don’t exist.” Sometimes she blotted out the feeling with a tranquilizer.Which best describes the connotation of “blotted” in the excerpt?

A
It has a positive connotation, because it implies the women were able to erase the feelings of emptiness.
B
It has a positive connotation, because it implies the emptiness was able to be replaced with happiness.
C
It has a negative connotation, because it implies women were actually strengthening the feelings of emptiness.
D
It has a negative connotation, because it implies women were merely temporarily lessening the feelings of emptiness.
3

Read the following scene from Trifles.MRS. HALE (abruptly moving toward her.) Mrs. Peters? MRS. PETERS. Yes Mrs. Hale? (At upstage right door.)MRS. HALE. Do you think she did it? MRS. PETERS (in a frightened voice.) Oh, I don’t know. What is one possible advantage of hearing the characters’ voices as opposed to silently reading the scene?

A
It helps readers visualize what each woman is wearing.
B
It helps listeners keep track of which woman is speaking.
C
It helps listeners envision the movements of each woman.
D
It helps readers conclude what each woman is thinking.
4

According to The Feminine Mystique, many women of the 1950s and ’60s felt trapped by society’s expectations. Which excerpt contains keywords that best describe their feelings?

A
Other women were satisfied with their lives, she thought.
B
What kind of a woman was she if she did not feel this mysterious fulfillment waxing the kitchen floor?
C
When a woman went to a psychiatrist for help, as many women did, she would say, “I’m so ashamed,” or “I must be hopelessly neurotic.”
D
“There’s nothing wrong really,” they kept telling themselves.
5

What best describes an element shared by the article "Indicted Her for Murder" and the excerpt from Midnight Assassin?

A
Both address the desires of Mrs. Hossack’s attorneys to have as speedy a trial as possible.
B
Both address the fact that Mrs. Hossack was in the house at the time of her husband’s murder.
C
Both address details about Mrs. Hossack’s bail and the fact that she would likely have to await trial in jail.
D
Both address the impact of the case upon journalist Susan Glaspell and the role she played in relating it.
6

Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.HALE. “Why—where is he?” says I, not knowing what to say. She just pointed upstairs—like that (himself pointing to the room above).What does the word “pointing” mean in this stage direction?

A
eying
B
leading
C
indicating
D
accusing
7

Read the excerpt from the article "Indicted Her for Murder."The awful crime of which Mrs. Hossack stands accused is still fresh in the minds of every newspaper reader in Iowa.Which best describes the excerpt?

A
It is a fact because it can be proven using objective evidence.
B
It is a fact because it cannot be proven using objective evidence.
C
It is an opinion because it can be proven using objective evidence.
D
It is an opinion because it cannot be proven using objective evidence.
8

What is one advantage of listening to an audio recording as opposed to silently reading a play?

A
It gives listeners a better idea of each character’s appearance.
B
It aids listeners in deciding how the lighting affects the characters’ expressions.
C
It allows listeners to better understand each character’s stage directions.
D
It helps listeners interpret the characters’ emotions and motivations.
9

Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY (as one turning from serious things to little pleasantries). Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it?MRS. PETERS. We think she was going to--knot it.COUNTY ATTORNEY. Well, that’s interesting, I’m sure. (Seeing the birdcage.) Has the bird flown?MRS. HALE (putting more quilt pieces over the box.) We think the--cat got it.Which idea is suggested by this excerpt?

A
The women are beginning to feel superior to the men because they do not think the men are capable of solving the case.
B
The women still have no idea about what really happened between Mr. and Mrs. Wright.
C
The women are going to hide what they have discovered to protect Mrs. Wright.
D
The women believe that the men should be taught a lesson in sensitivity, so they keep information from the men.
10

Read the following scene from Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY. Let’s talk about that later, Mr. Hale. I do want to talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got to the house. HALE. I didn’t hear or see anything; I knocked at the door, and still it was all quiet inside. I knew they must be up, it was past eight o’clock. So I knocked again, and I thought I heard somebody say, “Come in.” I wasn’t sure, I’m not sure yet, but I opened the door—this door (indicating the door by which the two women are still standing), and there in that rocker—(pointing to it) sat Mrs. Wright. (They all look at the rocker.) What would be one advantage of watching this scene as opposed to reading it?

A
The audience would not have to infer the characters’ moods, which could make the characters seem more genuine.
B
The audience would actually see what the characters look like, which could alleviate unnecessary mystery.
C
The audience would not have to interpret the setting, which could make the conflict of the story more evident.
D
The audience would actually watch all of the characters turn to stare at the rocker, which could enhance the mood of the scene.
11

Which excerpt from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique contains underlined keywords that reflect mainstream society’s view of a woman’s role in the 1950s and ’60s?

A
The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women.
B
They were taught to pity the neurotic, unfeminine, unhappy women who wanted to be poets or physicists or presidents.
C
Some women, in their forties and fifties, still remembered painfully giving up those dreams, but most of the younger women no longer even thought about them.
D
All they had to do was devote their lives from earliest girlhood to finding a husband and bearing children.
12

Which excerpt from part one of Trifles contains a stage direction that contributes to the character development of Mrs. Hale?

A
MRS. HALE (shaking her head). I’ve not seen much of her of late years. I’ve not been in this house—it’s more than a year.
B
MRS. HALE (looking about). It never seemed a very cheerful place.
C
MRS. HALE. I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing. (She arranges the pans under sink which the Lawyer had shoved out of place.)
D
MRS. HALE (eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside the breadbox, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room. Moves slowly toward it.) She was going to put this in there.
13

Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY. Oh, I guess they’re not very dangerous things the ladies have picked up. (Moves a few things about, disturbing the quilt pieces which cover the box. Steps back.) No, Mrs. Peters doesn’t need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters?Which of the following most accurately describes this excerpt?

A
It is verbal irony because the County Attorney means precisely the opposite of what he is actually saying.
B
It is dramatic irony because the audience knows that the County Attorney does not actually mean what he is saying.
C
It is situational irony because the County Attorney has actually issued a relevant warning to Mrs. Peters without realizing it.
D
It is not an example of any type of irony because the County Attorney is simply making a statement.
14

Which excerpt from part one of Trifles most develops the motives of the County Attorney?

A
COUNTY ATTORNEY. Somebody should have been left here yesterday.
B
COUNTY ATTORNEY. How did she seem to feel about your coming?
C
COUNTY ATTORNEY. (To the Sheriff.) You’re convinced that there was nothing important here-—nothing that would point to any motive?
D
COUNTY ATTORNEY (with the gallantry of a young politician). And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies?

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