MRS HALE: (stiffly) There's a great deal of work to be done on a farm.

Question

COUNTY ATTORNEY: To be sure. And yet (with a little bow to her) I know there are some Dickson county farmhouses which do not have such roller towels. (He gives it a pull to expose its length again.)

—Trifles,
Susan Glaspell

Which of the following are stage directions? Check all of the boxes that apply.

“COUNTY ATTORNEY: To be sure. And yet”

“MRS HALE”

“(stiffly)”

“There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm.”

“(with a little bow to her)”

Answer 1

The stage directions in the provided excerpt from "Trifles" are as follows:

• “(stiffly)” - This indicates how Mrs. Hale is speaking and serves as a direction for her performance.

• “(with a little bow to her)” - This describes the action of the County Attorney, providing context for his line.

The other options are not stage directions:

• “COUNTY ATTORNEY: To be sure. And yet” - This is part of the dialogue spoken by the character.

• “MRS HALE” - This indicates the character speaking but is not a direction on how to perform.

• “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm.” - This is also part of the dialogue spoken by Mrs. Hale.

So the boxes to check are:

• “(stiffly)”
• “(with a little bow to her)”

Answer 2

MRS HALE: (eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside the bread-box, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room. Moves slowly toward it.) She was going to put this in there.

—Trifles, Susan Glaspell

What does the word fixed mean in the stage direction?

avoiding

correct

stuck

Answer 3

In the context of the stage direction, the word "fixed" means stuck. It indicates that Mrs. Hale's eyes are focused and unmovable, suggesting a strong, perhaps intense, gaze directed at the loaf of bread.