5. What did Parris actually see going on in the forest?
Parris saw his niece and daughter dancing in the forest like heathen around a fire.
6. What is Abigail’s explanation for leaving the Proctors’ service for finding no work since?
Abigail explains that the reason she’s got no work after leaving Proctor’s service is because all employers really want are slaves and she will not stand for being a slave.
7. What is Ruth Putnam’s condition?
Ruth Putnam’s condition is excited, and some what happy that these girls may turn out to be witches. She seems to be almost sure of it, even gutting across Parris and confirming her own question.
8. How was Mrs Putnam involved in the events in the forest?
Mrs Putnam was involved in the events in the forest because their daughter Ruth is also sick, and they assume witchcraft to be the cause.
9. What do we learn after the adults leave the room about what the girls were doing the previous evening?
When the adults leave the room, Abigail, Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren wake Betty. Betty wakes up and accuses Abigail of drinking blood to kill John Proctor’s Wife.
10. How does Abigail threaten the other girls to make them keep silent.
Abigail keeps the other girls quiet by threatening to hurt them.
11. What do we gather about the previous relationship between Abigail and Proctor?
We gather that Abigail has previously had an affair with Proctor, but he is in no means interested in her now.
12. How does Rebecca Nurse explain the children’s strange behaviour?
Rebecca Nurse tries to explain the child’s spectacle as just silliness and nothing more. She believes that Betty and Ruth will come out of their afflicted states when they tire of the game.
13. What reasons does John Proctor give for staying away from church?
John proctor stays away from the church because he believes that Parris no longer preaches about God, but is interested in the churches layout and what objects it has.
14. What evidence is there that Parris is unhappy with the way he is treated by his congregation?
15. What is the argument about lumber wood between Proctor and Putnam?
The argument about lumber wood between Proctor and Putnam takes place because Putnam believes he is being paid too little and is not happy with his salary.
16. Why has the Reverend Hale come to Salem? What does he hope to do?
Reverend hale has come to Salem because of the recent events that have taken place, i.e. the girls being accused of witchcraft. He hopes to save as many of the accused as he can. He hopes to get them to confess and save their lives.
17. What more do we learn about events in the forest from Hale’s questioning of Abigail?
Abigail blames Tituba for the whole situation. She said she forced the girls to go into the forest and forced them to drink a char.
18. What does Tituba add to this story?
Tituba adds that she has seen many witches with the devil, to save herself. And then even Abigail switches her view and then they both confess they conspired with the devil.
19. What does Hale want Tituba to confess? How does he achieve this?
He wants her to admit she has something to do with the devil, which she does eventually admit.
20. What do the girls do in the last few minutes of Act One?
The girls accuse a lot of people of being witches, and start to become hysterical each one yelling out names of people they know of.