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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. In Act 1, Scene 1, why does Marcellus bring Horatio to talk to Francisco and Bernardo?
(a) To cover for them while they take a break.
(b) To tell them the latest gossip about Hamlet.
(c) To show him his father's ghost.
(d) To confirm what they have seen.

2. As Hamlet and the others wait to see the ghost in Act 1, Scene 4, what do they hear in the distance?
(a) Men shouting and women screaming.
(b) Trumpets being blown and ordinance being fired.
(c) A cock crowing.
(d) Drunken singing.

3. What shocking news does the ghost deliver to Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 5?
(a) Hamlet's mother killed Hamlet's father.
(b) Ophelia killed Hamlet's father.
(c) Claudius killed Hamlet's father.
(d) Laertes killed Hamlet's father.

4. After discussing Hamlet with Polonius in Act 1, how has Ophelia interacted with Hamlet?
(a) She has avoided him most of the time.
(b) She has continued to see him.
(c) She has avoided him entirely.
(d) She has spent even more time with him than she used to.

5. What does Ophelia tell Laertes about his advice on her love life?
(a) You give bad advice.
(b) Make sure you follow your own advice.
(c) Your advice is very wise.
(d) Stop telling me what to do.

Short Answer Questions

1. After watching the players give a speech about Hecuba and Priam, what does Hamlet say impresses him the most?

2. What is the real reason for the last king's death?

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

4. The tone of the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia in Act 3, Scene 1 changes abruptly when Ophelia does what?

5. Claudius says his crime "hath the primal eldest curse upon't." What does he mean?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does the Ghost at the beginning of the play talk to the watchers?

2. What is the setting (time and place) of Act 1, Scene 4?

3. In Act 2, Scene 2, what play does Hamlet ask the players to perform and why?

4. Who does the ghost tell Hamlet NOT to seek revenge on?

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

6. When Hamlet rants about love and marriage to Ophelia, he is talking about more than just his own relationship with her. What else is Hamlet talking about?

7. At the end of Act 1, Scene 5, what does Hamlet tell his friends about his future behavior?

8. Polonius sends Reynaldo to Laertes with very specific instructions. What does Polonius tell Reynaldo to do, and how does Polonius tell him to do it?

9. After Laertes leaves in Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius and Ophelia have a private talk. What specific instruction or order does Polonius give Ophelia?

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

(see the answer keys)

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