View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which best describes the theme of Venus and Adonis?
(a) A tangle of romantic expression
(b) A political intrigue
(c) A spiritual quest
(d) A treatise on parenting

2. Why did Will leave London to return to Stratford?
(a) To raise money
(b) To attend church regularly
(c) To attend a funeral
(d) To go to the doctor

3. Who staged a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth that is described in Chapter 10?
(a) Sir Thomas Lucy
(b) Robert Greene
(c) Richard Field
(d) The Earl of Essex

4. With whom did Will want to be united near the end of his life?
(a) His daughter Judith
(b) His wife Anne
(c) His daughter Susanna
(d) His son Hamnet

5. Which monarch ascended to the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth?
(a) King James I
(b) King Richard II
(c) Queen Elizabeth II
(d) King Henry IV

Short Answer Questions

1. Which character in one of Will’s works especially reflects the encounters that Will had with two of the members of the important group of playwrights in London?

2. What relationship forms the basis of human interactions in several of Will’s works in his latter days?

3. To whom did Will leave all of his property in his will?

4. Who took Robert Greene in so that he did not have to die on the streets of London?

5. Which of Will’s plays was being performed during the rebellion by the Earl of Essex?

Short Essay Questions

1. In which of his plays did Will make fun of the works of the members of the prominent group of playwrights in London?

2. Why did Will not fit in with the prominent group of playwrights in London? How were they different from him?

3. Why did Will return to Stratford in the latter years of his life?

4. What great tragedy did Will write in the latter part of his life that centered around a father-daughter relationship?

5. Why was Will’s removal of explained motivation for the actions of his characters important?

6. Chapter 9 describes how Queen Elizabeth’s doctor was executed publicly. How did the watching crowd respond? How did this response affect Will’s later works?

7. When did Will die? Where was he buried?

8. Describe why Will’s play Richard II was not well-received by Queen Elizabeth.

9. Who ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth died? Why was this monarch important to Will’s career?

10. Describe Will’s relationship with the Earl of Southampton.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 828 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample