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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the King doing during Act 1, Scene 4?
(a) Drinking and celebrating.
(b) Praying.
(c) Reading and signing documents.
(d) Shouting and starting a fight.

2. In Act 2, Scene 2, what happens when Polonius first tries to speak to Hamlet?
(a) Hamlet ignores him.
(b) Hamlet does not seem to recognize him.
(c) Hamlet argues with him.
(d) Hamlet is glad to see him.

3. Once Hamlet follows the ghost, what do Hamlet's friends decide to do?
(a) Leave Hamlet alone with the ghost.
(b) Tell the King about Hamlet's strange behavior.
(c) Get Hamlet to see a doctor.
(d) Follow Hamlet and the ghost.

4. What country did the late King go to battle against?
(a) England.
(b) France.
(c) Norway.
(d) Denmark.

5. Ophelia comes to watch the play. Before the play begins, how does Hamlet act towards her?
(a) He is friendly and apologizes for his earlier behavior.
(b) He ignores her and pretends he does not see her.
(c) He flirts with her and makes suggestive remarks.
(d) He yells at her and tries to hit her.

6. In Act 3, Scene 1, what does Hamlet tell Ophelia about his feelings for her?
(a) He says he is still in love with her.
(b) He says both that he loved and he did not love her.
(c) He says he does not know if he ever loved her.
(d) He says he never loved her.

7. What is the public explanation of the last king's death?
(a) He had a heart attack.
(b) He died in his sleep.
(c) He was stung by a serpent.
(d) He was stabbed.

8. What does Hamlet say when he first hears about the ghost?
(a) He wants it to leave him alone.
(b) He thinks Horatio is inventing it to distract him.
(c) He wants to talk to it.
(d) He does not believe it exists.

9. After telling Ophelia to get to a nunnery, what does Hamlet say about marriage?
(a) Marriage is the best thing Ophelia can do with her life.
(b) Marriage is an old-fashioned institution.
(c) Marriage is better for women than for men.
(d) We shall have no more marriage.

10. What message do the ambassadors bring Claudius back from Norway?
(a) Fortinbras wants to take over Denmark.
(b) Fortinbras does not plan to attack any country at all.
(c) Fortinbras wants to take over Denmark and Poland.
(d) Fortinbras will attack Poland, not Denmark.

11. In Act 2, Scene 1, why is Ophelia frightened?
(a) She saw the ghost talking to Hamlet.
(b) She had an unpleasant encounter with Hamlet.
(c) She saw a fight between Claudius and Hamlet.
(d) She saw Hamlet slap Gertrude in the face.

12. When Polonius tries to speak with Hamlet, does Polonius really believe Hamlet is crazy?
(a) Yes, but Polonius thinks it is easily cured.
(b) Yes, Polonius says Hamlet is totally insane.
(c) No, Polonius does not think Hamlet is crazy at all.
(d) Not entirely -- Polonius sees some reason or logic within the craziness.

13. When the audience first sees Claudius, he gives a speech about the current situation in Denmark and then speaks to Hamlet about his behavior. What does Claudius say to Hamlet at this early point in the play?
(a) He is too happy.
(b) He is too sad.
(c) He is too angry.
(d) He is too frightened.

14. 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 what the ghost has told him.
(c) He cannot believe he has seen a ghost.
(d) He wishes he was not born a prince.

15. At the end of Act 2, Scene 2, what does Hamlet reveal about his reasons for wanting the players to perform?
(a) He thinks the play will distract him.
(b) He wants to use the play to test Claudius's conscience.
(c) He thinks the players are very talented.
(d) He thinks the play will remind Gertrude of her first husband.

Short Answer Questions

1. What time of day is it in Act 1, Scene 4?

2. As Hamlet and the others wait to see the ghost in Act 1, Scene 4, what do they hear in the distance?

3. After listening to Ophelia's description of Hamlet, Polonius believes he has found the explanation for Hamlet's behavior. What does he decide to do next?

4. After welcoming them to Elsinore, what does Claudius ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?

5. What other "crime" has been committed against the last king?

(see the answer keys)

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