Which excerpt from Trifles contains a stage direction?
answer
SHERIFF (looking about). It's just the same.
question
Which stage direction from part one of Trifles most adds to the suspenseful tone?
answer
MRS. PETERS (starts to speak, glances up, where footsteps are heard in the room above. In a low voice.)
question
HALE. 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.
What can you infer about Hale based on both the dialogue and stage directions in this excerpt?
answer
He is eager to relay the details of the incident with as much accuracy as possible.
question
HALE. Well, my first thought was to get that rope off. I looked . . . (Stops, his face twitches.) . . . but Harry, he went up to him, and he said, "No, he's dead all right, and we'd better not touch anything."
How does the use of the word "twitches" in the stage direction most affect this scene?
answer
It emphasizes the fact that death is a difficult subject for Mr. Hale and causes him discomfort
question
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.)
How does the underlined stage direction affect the mood of the scene?
answer
The emphasis on the rocker creates a tense mood as everyone is reminded of where Mrs. Wright calmly sat as she discussed her dead husband.
question
SHERIFF (unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from the stove as if to the beginning of official business).
What is the primary purpose of these stage directions?
answer
to direct actions that take place onstage
question
MRS. HALE (examining the skirt).
What does the word "examining" mean in the stage direction?
answer
looking very closely
question
COUNTY ATTORNEY. How did she seem to feel about you coming?
HALE. Why, I don't think she minded—one way or the other. She didn't pay much attention. I said, "How do, Mrs. Wright, it's cold, ain't it?" And she said, "Is it?"—and went on kind of pleating at her apron. . . . And then she—laughed. I guess you would call it a laugh.
How does this dialogue further develop the idea that Mrs. Wright may have had a motive for killing her husband?
answer
It suggests that she did not care about his death.
question
COUNTY ATTORNEY (with the gallantry of a young politician). And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies?
What is the primary purpose of these stage directions?
answer
to indicate a character's tone of voice
question
Which of the following stage directions from part one of Trifles supports the idea that the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, are stronger than they may at first appear?
answer
COUNTY ATTORNEY. And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies? (The women do not unbend.)
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
COUNTY ATTORNEY (with the gallantry of a young politician).
Which best describes the effect of the word "gallantry" in this excerpt?
answer
it characterizes the County Attorney as someone desirous of showing respect to women, even if he does not mean it.
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
HALE. Well, my first thought was to get that rope off. I looked . . . (Stops, his face twitches.) . . . but Harry, he went up to him, and he said, "No, he's dead all right, and we'd better not touch anything."
How does the use of the word "twitches" in the stage direction most affect this scene?
answer
(wrong) It hints to the reader that Hale may have somehow been involved and is acting out of guilt.
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
SHERIFF (unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from the stove as if to the beginning of official business).
How does the use of the word "official" in this stage direction affect the mood of the scene?
answer
It suggests that the Sheriff is going to attempt to act professionally.
question
Which of the following stage directions from part one of Trifles is designed to express emotion?
answer
MRS. HALE (stiffly).
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
HALE. 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.
answer
( worng) He is desirous of making it seem as though Mrs. Wright is guilty of killing her husband.
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
COUNTY ATTORNEY. Dirty towels! (Kicks his foot against the pans under the sink.) Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?
What does this excerpt emphasize about the character of the County Attorney?
answer
his strong belief in a woman's domestic role
question
Which of the following excerpts from part one of Trifles suggests that Mrs. Hale believes Mrs. Wright may have had a motive for killing her husband?
answer
MRS. HALE. She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir.
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
SHERIFF. Nothing here but kitchen things.
(The County Attorney, after again looking around the kitchen, opens the door of a cupboard closet. He gets up on a chair and looks on a shelf. Pulls his hand away, sticky.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY. Here's a nice mess.
(The women draw nearer.)
MRS. PETERS (to the other woman). Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. (To the Lawyer). She worried about that when it turned so cold. She said the fire'd go out and her jars would break
What do the underlined stage directions suggest about the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters?
answer
They share a bond as women and are instinctively curious.
question
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.
"MRS.HALE(abruptly moving toward her). Mrs.Peters?
Which best describes the effect of the word "abruptly" in the excerpt
answer
The use of the word abruptly heightens the conflict by revealing to the reader that Mrs. Hale is becoming increasingly anxious
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