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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What appears to be a driving force behind Will’s hasty marriage?
(a) Pregnancy
(b) Money
(c) Career opportunities
(d) Weather conditions

2. Which play is presented in Chapter 5 as portraying Will’s empathy with citizens of the lower classes?
(a) Henry IV
(b) Henry VI
(c) Romeo and Juliet
(d) King Lear

3. Why did Will try to avoid writing incriminating documents?
(a) He did not have much physical strength
(b) He had a personal conviction against this activity
(c) He was afraid of being accused of treason
(d) He was too busy with other things

4. Who is NOT an example of a villainous character in Will’s later work that stemmed from exposure to plays in his younger years?
(a) Iago
(b) Romeo
(c) Falstaff
(d) Angelo

5. Chapter 5 ends with a discussion of…
(a) Why Will wrote so prolifically
(b) Why Will did not live with his family
(c) Why Will did not have a happy marriage
(d) Why Will did not leave documents inscribed with his name

6. What position did Will’s father, John, hold in Stratford?
(a) Mayor
(b) Councilman
(c) Lawyer
(d) Priest

7. Which of Will’s plays does NOT discuss loss of social status?
(a) Romeo and Juliet
(b) Twelfth Night
(c) The Tempest
(d) The Merchant of Venice

8. Which of these WAS an aspect of life inside the ancient Roman wall in London?
(a) Healthy places to eat
(b) Extreme good health
(c) Fresh air
(d) Crowding

9. In Chapter 3, what occupation is presented as one that Will might have done while living in Lancashire?
(a) Teacher
(b) Actor
(c) Cook
(d) Priest

10. What object did John Shakespeare unsuccessfully attempt to purchase to help the family’s social standing?
(a) A prison pardon
(b) A coat of arms
(c) A large house
(d) A sword

11. Who was the prominent and hunted Catholic leader that Will met during this time?
(a) John Shakespeare
(b) Robert Greene
(c) Christopher Marlowe
(d) Edmund Campion

12. Which character in Henry VI led a rebellion against the upper class?
(a) Jack Cade
(b) Juliet
(c) Falstaff
(d) Edgar

13. Who was primarily responsible for the loss of social standing in Will’s family?
(a) Will himself
(b) Will's mother
(c) Will's father
(d) Will's grandfather

14. What was John Shakespeare’s primary occupation?
(a) Builder
(b) Glove maker
(c) Priest
(d) Teacher

15. On whose estate did Will engage in illegal activity?
(a) Edmund Campion’s
(b) John Shakespeare’s
(c) Robert Greene’s
(d) Sir Thomas Lucy’s

Short Answer Questions

1. Will’s early education was most likely conducted in what language?

2. Which character in Will’s Titus Andronicus was treated in a particularly horrific way?

3. What illegal activity was Will possibly involved in?

4. Which of Will’s plays was particularly influenced by the work of Christopher Marlowe?

5. Chapter 5 begins with an examination of…

(see the answer keys)

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