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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. At the end of the first act, what does Hamlet warn his friends he might do?
(a) Leave the country forever.
(b) Pretend to be crazy.
(c) Get married.
(d) Kill somebody.

2. What does Hamlet learn about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's reasons for visiting Elsinore?
(a) They were sent for by the king.
(b) They came to see his father's funeral.
(c) They came to visit him.
(d) They were sent for by Polonius.

3. After witnessing Hamlet's behavior during the play, what does Claudius say about his condition?
(a) Hamlet is not crazy.
(b) Hamlet is crazy, but harmless.
(c) Hamlet is not crazy, but he is dangerous.
(d) Hamlet is crazy and dangerous.

4. After Hamlet yells at Ophelia to go to a nunnery, what does she say about him?
(a) She is angry because she does not think he is crazy, and he has hurt her feelings.
(b) She is relieved that she did not marry him.
(c) She is angry at him because she thinks he is crazy.
(d) She is sorry for him and for herself, because she thinks he is crazy.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does the ghost claim to be?

2. When Polonius tries to speak with Hamlet, does Polonius really believe Hamlet is crazy?

3. What is Hamlet's mother's name?

4. What is the first part of the players' performance in Act 3, Scene 2?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. As they watch for the ghost in Act 1, Scene 4, Hamlet and his companions hear a noise offstage. What noise do they hear and how does Hamlet explain it?

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

3. When Hamlet meets Ophelia after the "To be or not to be" speech, he is polite or gentle with her at first. What happens to change his attitude? How does his attitude change? What does he say?

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

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

6. In Act 3, Claudius becomes convinced that Hamlet is insane. What does he decide to do with Hamlet?

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

8. After the play-within-a-play, Claudius meets with Hamlet's old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern loyal to? How can you tell?

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

10. The first time Claudius appears on stage, he gives a speech describing the current state of affairs in Denmark. He identifies and explains three major events. What are those events?

(see the answer keys)

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