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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Claudius finally gives Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders for how to handle Hamlet. What do those orders say?
(a) Hamlet should be put to death.
(b) Hamlet should be put on trial for murder.
(c) Hamlet should be exiled from Denmark.
(d) Hamlet should be locked away forever.

2. When Hamlet and his mother finally talk in Gertrude's room, she says, "Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended." Hamlet responds, "Mother, you have my father much offended." Why is that dialogue important?
(a) Gertrude is using the dead king to force Hamlet to behave himself.
(b) Hamlet has decided to act crazy even with his mother.
(c) Getrude is talking about Claudius, but Hamlet is talking about the dead king.
(d) Gertrude is talking about the dead king, but Hamlet is talking about Claudius.

3. When he is asked where his first victim's body is, what does Hamlet do?
(a) He answers with a riddle.
(b) He laughs.
(c) He threatens to kill more people.
(d) He refuses to speak.

4. Some sailors arrive at Elsinore from a pirate ship in Act 4, Scene 6. Who do they deliver a letter to?
(a) Gertrude.
(b) Hamlet.
(c) Laertes.
(d) Horatio.

5. What do the gravediggers say about Ophelia's burial?
(a) If she is a suicide, so she should not be buried in the churchyard.
(b) She should have been getting married, not buried.
(c) It is a shame that someone so young is dead.
(d) Her burial should get more ceremony and more attention than it is receiving.

6. Hamlet's mother tries to leave the room during their conversation in Act 3, Scene 4, but Hamlet stops her and says she cannot leave until he does what?
(a) Kills Claudius.
(b) Tells her about the ghost.
(c) Kills her.
(d) Forces her to face what she has done.

7. At the end of Act 4, Scene 5, what does Claudius offer to do for Laertes?
(a) Help Laertes kill Hamlet.
(b) Show Laertes where his father is buried.
(c) Take care of Ophelia.
(d) Tell Laertes the truth about his father's death.

8. What happens between Laertes and Hamlet in the graveyard scene?
(a) Laertes tries to kill Hamlet.
(b) Laertes blames Hamlet for his sister's death.
(c) They shake hands over Ophelia's grave.
(d) They both jump into Ophelia's grave and get in a fight.

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

10. When Laertes returns after his father's death, what do the common people say about him?
(a) They want to kill him.
(b) They think he should lead the armies against Norway.
(c) They want to make him king.
(d) They think he is to blame for the last king's death

11. Watching the troops attacking, Hamlet decides that he is less of a man than their leader. Why does he say that?
(a) Hamlet has only killed one man and the leader has killed many.
(b) Hamlet was never in the army, unlike the troops' leader.
(c) He has a better reason to fight than the leader, but he does not fight.
(d) The leader is a common man, while Hamlet is a prince.

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

13. Claudius suggests a duel between Laertes and Hamlet, but that type of duel usually is not deadly. What does Claudius suggest they do to injure Hamlet?
(a) Damage Hamlet's armor so he is vulnerable.
(b) Force Hamlet to drink poison before the fight.
(c) Fix Laertes's sword so it is sharp.
(d) Bribe the referee.

14. After the murder, Claudius tells Hamlet to leave right away. Where should Hamlet go?
(a) Back to school.
(b) England.
(c) Off to prison.
(d) To be locked in his room.

15. At the start of Act 4, Scene 4, the audience finally sees a character that has been talked about since the start of the play. Who is this character?
(a) Fortinbras.
(b) Laertes.
(c) Captain.
(d) Bernardo.

Short Answer Questions

1. The first time the audience sees Hamlet after he has killed someone, he says "Safely stowed." What does he mean?

2. When Hamlet leaves his mother's room in Act 3, Scene 4, what does he take with him?

3. After reading the letters brought by the sailors in Act 4, Scene 6, what does Horatio say he wants to do?

4. Hamlet finally tells Claudius how to find the body of his first victim: "But indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby." How is Hamlet saying that they might find the body?

5. Who are the Norwegian soldiers attacking?

(see the answer keys)

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