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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Hamlet manage to avoid his fate in England?

2. How does Laertes die?

3. When Laertes returns after his father's death, what does he want?

4. Who is Gertrude truly loyal to?

5. After reading the letters brought by the sailors in Act 4, Scene 6, what does Horatio say he wants to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Polonius's death, what does Gertrude tell Claudius about Hamlet?

2. How does Hamlet suggest that Claudius and his servants might find Polonius's body?

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

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

5. What plan do Laertes and Claudius come up with in Act 4, Scene 7 to kill Hamlet?

6. In the last scene of Act 3, Polonius is killed. At the end of the scene, what happens to his body?

7. When Claudius hears about Polonius's death, what is his first thought?

8. In Act 4, Scene 5, Claudius is almost overthrown by a violent mob. Who does the mob want to be king in his place?

9. 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?

10. How does Hamlet avoid going to England?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify one or more characters as the most important "victim(s)" of this play. Who is the most unfairly punished by the sequence of events? Why?

Essay Topic 2

One of the major themes in the play is connected to ears, hearing, and trusting what you hear. Identify one or two important moments in each act when that theme comes up. Explain the moment, why it is important, and how it contributes to the overall theme.

Essay Topic 3

At one point, Hamlet says "Words, words, words," and while there are a lot of words in this play, people use those words to manipulate or control each other, rather than to tell each other the truth. What theme or lesson can be drawn from this play about the important of words and language? Support your thesis with examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 760 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample