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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. Which of the following was NOT a difference between Will and his wife?
(a) Religion
(b) Age
(c) Nationality
(d) Financial means

2. What was Will licensed for during the time that he lived in Stratford?
(a) Singing
(b) Dancing
(c) Nothing
(d) Acting

3. What was the result of Will’s threatened punishment for his illegal activity?
(a) Will’s advancement in society
(b) Will’s untimely death
(c) Will’s leaving Stratford
(d) Will’s imprisonment

4. In which of Will’s plays do characters get married because of an unhealthy obsession?
(a) Hamlet
(b) Midsummer Night's Dream
(c) Macbeth
(d) Othello

5. What illegal activity was John Shakespeare involved in?
(a) Illicit wool dealing
(b) Whiskey brewing
(c) Deer poaching
(d) Spying

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Chapter 1 focuses largely on the importance of…

3. Choose the word that best describes the family of Will’s mother.

4. What was the name of Will’s mother?

5. What position did Will’s father, John, hold in Stratford?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between Brutus and Portia in Will’s play Julius Caesar. Is this relationship healthy or unhealthy? Why is it an important indicator of how Will depicted marriage in his plays?

2. What two personal conclusions did Will draw as a result of his relationship with Edmund Campion?

3. Who was Sir Thomas Lucy? What was Will’s relationship with him?

4. Describe the political climate in London during Will’s day. How were “traitors” treated?

5. What was another way that Will would have been exposed to theater as a young child?

6. Describe the general feelings towards Roman Catholics during the England of Will’s day.

7. Describe how Will’s father, John Shakespeare, influenced Will’s exposure to theater at a young age.

8. Was it dangerous for people to travel by road in Will’s day? What did they need for safe passage?

9. Describe the school environment in which Will was educated. What things were unique about his education?

10. Discuss the possible reason for Will’s hasty marriage and identify which of Will’s plays reflects the same urgency between a male and female character.

(see the answer keys)

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