Quiz for Documenting the American Promise: “Hunting Witches in Salem, Massachusetts”

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question

1. Based on the accounts in the first document, what did New England Puritans believe was the purpose behind Susanna Martin’s actions?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is A. All three of these witnesses testified that Susanna Martin engaged in behavior that was intended to tempt them into accepting evil offers and cooperating with the devil. Peache testified that she tempted him sexually, Kembal testified that she tried to tempt him into accepting the devil in the shape of a puppy, and Ring testified that she carried him off to hellish meetings where he had to resist signing the devil’s book.
Incorrect. The correct answer is A. All three of these witnesses testified that Susanna Martin engaged in behavior that was intended to tempt them into accepting evil offers and cooperating with the devil. Peache testified that she tempted him sexually, Kembal testified that she tried to tempt him into accepting the devil in the shape of a puppy, and Ring testified that she carried him off to hellish meetings where he had to resist signing the devil’s book.

Question

2. What does the testimony in the first document reveal about how New England Puritans conceptualized their communities at the end of the seventeenth century?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is C. The witnesses’ testimony against Susanna Martin reveals that these men believed their communities were not protected by their covenant with God but that they were deeply vulnerable to the effects of sin and evil. The men all tell stories about how Martin tempted them and required them to summon all of their strength and faith to resist her. They clearly do not take the virtue and faith of their fellow Puritans for granted.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. The witnesses’ testimony against Susanna Martin reveals that these men believed their communities were not protected by their covenant with God but that they were deeply vulnerable to the effects of sin and evil. The men all tell stories about how Martin tempted them and required them to summon all of their strength and faith to resist her. They clearly do not take the virtue and faith of their fellow Puritans for granted.

Question

3. The three witnesses who testify against Susanna Martin in the first document give accounts that differ but share some common elements. What explanation does this collection of documents suggest about why the three witnesses told similar stories?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is C. In the first document, the three witnesses each describe Susanna Martin’s alleged torments and illustrate the common beliefs that members of Puritan communities had about how devil-inspired witchcraft might manifest among them. It is impossible to know for sure why the three men’s stories are similar, but the most logical explanation is that Puritan culture shaped community members’ conceptions about what witchcraft would look like.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. In the first document, the three witnesses each describe Susanna Martin’s alleged torments and illustrate the common beliefs that members of Puritan communities had about how devil-inspired witchcraft might manifest among them. It is impossible to know for sure why the three men’s stories are similar, but the most logical explanation is that Puritan culture shaped community members’ conceptions about what witchcraft would look like.

Question

4. In his critique of the witch trials, Robert Calef refers to witnesses such as Peache, Kembal, and Ring, saying, “The accusations of these, from their spectral sight, being the chief evidence against those that suffered; in which accusations they were upheld by both magistrates and ministers, so long as they apprehended themselves in no danger.” Which of the following restates Calef’s critique?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is B. Calef is critical of the witnesses’ testimony because it all relies on “spectral” evidence that involves magical visions and comes from their own minds. He is critical of the ministers and magistrates because they chose, in the absence of any public challenges to their authority, to accept the witnesses’ spectral accounts as truth. He is critical of other Puritans for failing to speak out against the fantastic testimony that, in turn, led to the deaths of many innocent people.
Incorrect. The correct answer is B. Calef is critical of the witnesses’ testimony because it all relies on “spectral” evidence that involves magical visions and comes from their own minds. He is critical of the ministers and magistrates because they chose, in the absence of any public challenges to their authority, to accept the witnesses’ spectral accounts as truth. He is critical of other Puritans for failing to speak out against the fantastic testimony that, in turn, led to the deaths of many innocent people.

Question

5. What does this collection of documents suggest about the state of Puritanism in New England in the seventeenth century?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is D. This collection of documents suggests that the uniformity and cohesion that had characterized Puritan churches and communities in the early seventeenth century had begun to deteriorate by the end. The documents show that the Puritan community members were willing to betray their neighbors and that some Puritan individuals had begun to question the legitimacy of their leaders.
Incorrect. The correct answer is D. This collection of documents suggests that the uniformity and cohesion that had characterized Puritan churches and communities in the early seventeenth century had begun to deteriorate by the end. The documents show that the Puritan community members were willing to betray their neighbors and that some Puritan individuals had begun to question the legitimacy of their leaders.