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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. How does Hamlet react when he sees the ghost for the first time?
(a) He is frightened and runs away.
(b) He is angry and tries to attack it.
(c) He is startled, but tries to talk to it.
(d) He is upset and starts to cry.

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

3. As they wait for the ghost, Hamlet describes the King's nightly tradition. What does Hamlet think about this tradition?
(a) It is an old tradition that every king should follow.
(b) It should help him be a good leader.
(c) It is something he should stop doing now that he is King.
(d) It makes the Danes look bad to other countries.

4. After the play, Claudius meets with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to discuss Hamlet's condition. Are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern more sympathetic to Claudius, Hamlet, or someone else?
(a) Gertrude.
(b) Claudius.
(c) Ophelia.
(d) Hamlet.

5. Why does Hamlet talk to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about a recorder?
(a) Hamlet says he wants to learn to play the recorder.
(b) Hamlet says they want to play him like a recorder and get information out of him.
(c) Hamlet wants them to make the musicians stop playing the recorder.
(d) Hamlet asks them to teach him how to play the recorder.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the main idea of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech?

2. After the play is performed, what does Polonius ask Hamlet to do?

3. What specific thing does Hamlet determine Claudius must do before Hamlet can murder him?

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

5. Before Hamlet hears about the ghost, how does he feel about Claudius?

Short Essay Questions

1. Early in the play, Laertes gives Ophelia advice about her love life. What does she say in response?

2. During Hamlet's first conversation with the ghost, the ghost asks for revenge. Who does the ghost want revenge on and why?

3. Who does the Ghost in Act 1, Scene 1 look like?

4. Before Laertes leaves Elsinore, Polonius gives him a lot of advice. What does Polonius say is the most important piece of advice he can give?

5. When Hamlet follows the ghost, what do his friends decide to do?

6. At the end of Act 1, Scene 1, what does Horatio say he will do next?

7. Laertes and Polonius are both concerned about Ophelia's romance. In Act 1, Scene 3, what do they tell her?

8. How does Claudius react to the play-within-a-play?

9. Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and why do they go to Elsinore?

10. After the play-within-a-play, where is Hamlet asked to go? Who asks him to go there?

(see the answer keys)

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