After reading the play 12 Angry Men, take this reading quiz. This is a QUIZ GRADE!!
Read each question carefully.
Go back and reread when necessary.
Use the process of elimination to answer the question.
Check your answers and submit.
Based on the events at the end of the play, what will MOST likely happen next?
Which line from the play that shows that Juror #3 is dismissive of the first not guilty vote at the beginning of the play.
How do the events that happen in the juror room help develop Juror # 8’s character?
NO.10: I don't understand you people. How can you believe this kid is innocent? Look, you know how those people lie. l don't have to tell you. They don't know what the truth is. And lemme tell you, they— (NO.5 gets up from table, turns his back to it, and goes to window.)—don't need any real big reason to kill someone either. You know, they get drunk, and bang, someone's lying in the gutter. Nobody's blaming them. That's how they are. You know what I mean? Violent!
[NO.9 gets up and does the same. He is followed by NO.11]
NO.10: Human life don't mean as much to them as it does to us. Hey, where are you going? Look, these people are drinking and fighting all the time, and if somebody gets killed, so somebody gets killed. They don't care. Oh, sure, there are some good things about them, too. Look, I'm the first to say that.
[NO. 8 gets up, and then NO. 2 and NO. 6 follow him to the window.]
NO.10: I've known a few who were pretty decent, but that's the exception. Most of them; it's like they have no feelings. They can do anything. What's going on here?
[The foreman gets up and goes to the windows, followed by NO. 7 and NO. 12:]
NO.10:.1'm speaking my piece, and you listen to me! They're no good. There's not a one of ‘em who's any good. We better watch out. Take it from me. This kid on trial....
[NO. 3 sits at table toying with the knife, and NO. 4 gets up and starts for the window. All have their backs to NO.10.]
How do the stage directions and Juror 10’s speech in the part below contribute to the audience’s overall understanding of the plot?
NO. 3: Well, what have you got to say about that?
NO. 8: I don't know. It doesn't sound right to me.
NO. 3: Well, supposing you think about it. (To NO. 12) Lend me your pencil. ~
[NO. 12 gives it to him. He draws a tic-tac-toe square on the same sheet of paper on which NO. 12 had drawn the train. He fills in an X and hands the pencil to NO. 12]
NO. 3: Your turn. We might as well pass the time.
The playwright includes the stage directions and dialogue in the lines most likely to develop the idea that Jurors #3 and #12 are?
NO. 8: I don't want to change your mind. I just want to talk for a while. Look, this boy's been kicked around all his life. You know, living in a slum, his mother dead since he was nine. That's not a very good head start. He's a tough, angry kid. You know why slum kids get that way? Because we knock 'em on the head once a day, every day. I think maybe we owe him a few words. That's all.
In lines above, the playwright’s use of the phrase “That's all” emphasizes⎯
NO.7: I don't know, most of it's been said already. We can talk all day about this thing, but I think we’re wasting our time. Look at the kid's record. At fifteen he was in reform school. He stole a car. He's been arrested for mugging. He was picked up for knife-fighting. I think they said he stabbed somebody in the arm. This is a very fine boy.
The playwright uses sarcasm in the line to show that?
JUDGE: Murder in the first degree—premeditated homicide—is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts. You've heard a long and complex case, gentlemen, and it is now your duty to sit down to try and separate the facts from the fancy. One man is dead. The life of another is at stake. If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused . . . then you must declare him not guilty. If, however, there is no reasonable doubt, then he must be found guilty. Whichever way you decide, the verdict must be unanimous. I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully. You are faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.
In the following lines, the words complex, duty, and grave contribute to the mood of the play by emphasizing______.
NO. 9: It's just that I looked at him for a very long time. The seam of his jacket was split under the arm. Did you notice that? He was a very old man with a torn jacket, and he carried two canes. I think I know him better than anyone here. This is a quiet, frightened, insignificant man who has been nothing all his life, who has never had recognition—his name in the newspapers. Nobody knows him after seventy-five years. That's a very sad thing. A man like this needs to be recognized. To be questioned, and listened to, and quoted just once. This is very important.
What is the author’s purpose in including Juror #9’s dialogue in this scene?
NO.7: Well, if that isn't the end. (To NO. 5) What are you basing it on? Stories this guy (indicating NO. 8) made up! He oughta write for American Detective Monthly. He'd make a fortune. Listen, the kid had a lawyer, didn't he? Why didn't his lawyer bring up all these points?
Why does the author use rhetorical questions in the following lines?
NO. 10: I don't mind telling you this, mister. We don't owe him a thing. He got a fair trial, didn't he? You know what that trial cost? He's lucky he got it. Look, we're all grownups here. You're not going to tell us that we're supposed to believe him, knowing what he is. I've lived among 'em all my life. You can't believe a word they say. You know that.
NO. 9: (to NO. 10 very slowly). I don't know that. What a terrible thing for a man to believe! Since when is dishonesty a group characteristic? You have no monopoly on the truth.
In the following lines, what does the word monopoly mean?
NO. 8: (calmly) Our fingers. Are you his executioner?
NO. 3: (raging) I'm one of 'em.
In the following lines, why does Juror #3 refer to himself as one of the defendant’s executioners?
Answer the question in one COMPLETE sentence below.
What conclusion that Juror #6 makes about the eye witness testimony?
NO. 11: Nor do 1. We have a responsibility. This is a remarkable thing about democracy. That we are…ummmm… what is the word…Ah, notified! That we are notified by mail to come down to this place and decide on the guilt or innocence of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. This is one of the reasons why we are strong.
Why does the author include this idea from Juror #11?