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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When he is asked where his first victim's body is, what does Hamlet do?
(a) He answers with a riddle.
(b) He refuses to speak.
(c) He laughs.
(d) He threatens to kill more people.

2. Watching the troops attacking, Hamlet decides that he is less of a man than their leader. Why does he say that?
(a) Hamlet has only killed one man and the leader has killed many.
(b) He has a better reason to fight than the leader, but he does not fight.
(c) Hamlet was never in the army, unlike the troops' leader.
(d) The leader is a common man, while Hamlet is a prince.

3. After witnessing Hamlet kill someone, Gertrude hurries to find Claudius. Who is he talking to when she comes in?
(a) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
(b) The ambassadors to Norway.
(c) Laertes and Ophelia.
(d) Laertes.

4. After reading the letters brought by the sailors in Act 4, Scene 6, what does Horatio say he wants to do?
(a) Tell Gertrude about Hamlet.
(b) Go get Hamlet.
(c) Wait until Hamlet arrives in Elsinore.
(d) Tell Claudius about Hamlet.

5. At the end of Act 4, Scene 5, what does Claudius offer to do for Laertes?
(a) Take care of Ophelia.
(b) Show Laertes where his father is buried.
(c) Help Laertes kill Hamlet.
(d) Tell Laertes the truth about his father's death.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the letter that the sailors deliver in Act 4, Scene 6, it says: "when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these fellows some means to the king: they have letters for him." What is the writer of the letter asking?

2. As Gertrude lays flowers at Ophelia's grave, what does she say?

3. What does Claudius ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do, after learning that Hamlet has committed murder?

4. What message is the Norwegian Captain supposed to deliver to Claudius in Act 4, Scene 4?

5. Some sailors arrive at Elsinore from a pirate ship in Act 4, Scene 6. Who do they deliver a letter to?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Act 4, Scene 3, what does Claudius reveal to the audience about his plans for Hamlet in England?

2. How does Hamlet avoid going to England?

3. Whose burial does Hamlet witness in Act 5?

4. When Hamlet hears about Fortinbras and his attacks on Poland, what does he say about Fortinbras and about himself?

5. Who is the first person in Elsinore to find out that Hamlet is on his way back to Denmark instead of going to England? How does that person find out?

6. At the end of the play, we learn of the death of two minor characters. Who are they, and how do we learn of their death?

7. Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius's death. Claudius says that there are two reasons why he cannot have Hamlet publicly arrested and punished. What are those two reasons?

8. As Hamlet travels to the boat for England, what or who does Hamlet find on a plain in Denmark?

9. Who is Yorick, and why does he come up in Act 5?

10. Hamlet finally confronts his mother in Act 3, Scene 4, speaking harshly to her as he tries to force her to realize her own complicity in the crime. What happens to change his tone?

(see the answer keys)

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