1. What details indicate that the accusations against Carrier were false? 2. What are the numbers killed during the Salem with trials? 3. What was the emphasis as they celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Salem witch trials? What does this particular emphasis have to do with the Salem witch trials? 4. What does the article say that the witch trials represent? 5. Describe what took place in Parris’ house before the first signs of “witchcraft” emerged. 6. Why were Sarah Good, Tituba, and Sarah Osborne all obvious people to accuse of witchcraft? 7. Why were a special set of shackles made for Dorcas Good? 8. In what way did the girls who were accusing others of witchcraft seem to have the court under their control? 9. What is “spectral evidence” and what part did it play in the Salem witch trials? 10. To what do experts now attribute the outbursts? How did the Puritan culture contribute to these outbursts? 11. What do some believe was behind the allegations leveled by adults? 12. What did many of the women accused have in common? How did they threaten the Puritan’s society? 13. What does the article suggest is the best way to spot a witch hunt? 14. What are some modern-day witch hunts?

Read the following scene from trifles. sheriff (chuckling). married to the law. (moves toward the other room.) i just want you to come in here a minute, george. we ought to take a look at these windows. county attorney (scoffingly). oh, windows! sheriff. we’ll be right out, mr. hale. (hale goes outside. the sheriff follows the county attorney into the other room. then mrs. hale rises, hands tight together, looking intensely at mrs. peters, whose eyes take a slow turn, finally meeting mrs. hale’s. a moment mrs. hale holds her, then her own eyes point the way to where the box is concealed. suddenly mrs. peters throws back quilt pieces and tries to put the box in the bag she is wearing. it is too big. she opens box, starts to take the bird out, cannot touch it, goes to pieces, stands there . sound of a knob turning in the other room. mrs. hale snatches the box and puts it in the pocket of her big coat. enter county attorney and sheriff.) county attorney (facetiously). well, henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. she was going to—what is it you call it, ladies! mrs. hale (her hand against her pocket). we call it—knot it, mr. henderson. what changes might a director or screenwriter make to the original version of this scene in order to best emphasize the mood? cut dialogue from the scene to make it a more appropriate length update the setting to appeal to a more modern-day audience omit the actions of the characters to avoid confusion and chaos include the use of lighting, camera angles, and sound effects