Which of the following fits the description of a person most likely to have been accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England?
A) a single young man who got along well with all his neighbors and rarely became entangled in community conflicts
B) a married woman who normally was subservient to her husband and the community, which made her behavior seem all the more bizarre
C) a widowed man who presumably was too lonely or too dependent on the community, and because of this, was easy to ostracize
D) a young married woman who laid low, had many children, and engaged little in the public affairs of the town
E) a middle-aged woman who was outspoken, economically independent, or estranged from her husband

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A middle-aged woman who was outspoken, economically independent, or estranged from her husband was most likely to be accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England. These were characteristics that went against the gender and social norms of the time, and therefore made them targets for suspicion and accusation.

Which of the Following Fits the Description of a Person