View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Act 4, Scene 4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Claudius says his crime "hath the primal eldest curse upon't." What does he mean?
(a) A brother's murder is an especially bad crime.
(b) Killing the king is an especially bad crime.
(c) Killing your oldest brother is an especially bad crime.
(d) Stealing your brother's wife is an especially bad crime.

2. What are the Norwegian soldiers fighting over?
(a) A king's assassination.
(b) A little piece of worthless land.
(c) An insult.
(d) A country.

3. What message is the Norwegian Captain supposed to deliver to Claudius in Act 4, Scene 4?
(a) The armies of Norway have defeated the Poles.
(b) The armies of Norway will attack at dawn.
(c) The armies of Norway want passage through Denmark.
(d) The armies of Denmark must surrender their weapons.

4. After Hamlet's behavior during the play-within-a-play, what do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to do with Hamlet?
(a) Take him to England right away.
(b) Take him to England next summer.
(c) Kill him.
(d) Take him to a doctor.

5. Hamlet says "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right!" What does that mean?
(a) He wishes he did not have to do the things he expects to do.
(b) He cannot believe he has seen a ghost.
(c) He wishes he was not born a prince.
(d) He cannot believe what the ghost has told him.

Short Answer Questions

1. After his first meeting with the ghost, what does Hamlet ask his friends to do?

2. Watching the troops attacking, Hamlet decides that he is less of a man than their leader. Why does he say that?

3. In Act 4, scene 4, while watching the troops and reflecting on his own behavior, what does Hamlet promise about his future actions?

4. At the end of the first act, what does Hamlet warn his friends he might do?

5. Hamlet says of Claudius: "He took my father grossly, full of bread; With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May." What does Hamlet mean by that?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 452 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample