Trifles: The Rise of Modern Feminism on the Stage, Part 2 — Quiz
Question 16 • English Language Arts 11
Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles . MRS. HALE: It’s log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn’t it? I wonder if she was goin’ to quilt or just knot it? (Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. The Sheriff enters, followed by Hale and the County Attorney.) SHERIFF: They wonder if she was going to quilt or just knot it. (The men laugh, the women look abashed.) What is ironic about this excerpt?
Answer
A
Although they are considered to be good, knowledgeable homemakers, the women are puzzled by which stitching technique was used in the quilt.
B
Although the women are in Mrs. Wright’s kitchen, they are unfamiliar with many of the items that they find.
C
The men believe the women are incapable of discovering anything of substance when, in fact, they are the ones who discover evidence.
D
The men laugh at the women, and the women find themselves feeling very embarrassed by this.
Explanation
The men laugh at the women’s interest in whether Mrs. Wright planned to quilt or knot the quilt. Their laughter shows that they dismiss the women’s attention to domestic details as unimportant. The irony is that the women notice clues the men overlook, eventually discovering evidence that helps explain the crime.
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