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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 Act 1, Scene 1, what does Horatio say he intends to do?
(a) Talk to the king.
(b) Talk to a priest.
(c) Tell Prince Hamlet about the ghost.
(d) Watch for the ghost on the next night.

2. 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 frightened.
(b) He is too happy.
(c) He is too sad.
(d) He is too angry.

3. When the ghost first speaks to Hamlet, how does it describe its experience?
(a) It walks at night and is frozen in a block of ice during the day.
(b) It walks all the time, hoping someone will set it free.
(c) It walks at night and is tortured by day.
(d) It is tortured and burned in a fire all the time.

4. Polonius asks Claudius to arrange for Hamlet to go somewhere after the play's performance. Where is Hamlet supposed to go?
(a) To see his mother.
(b) To see Ophelia.
(c) To see Claudius.
(d) To see a doctor.

5. What does Horatio say the ghost might do to Hamlet?
(a) Kill him.
(b) Curse him.
(c) Bless him.
(d) Drive him crazy.

Short Answer Questions

1. Before he returns to school, what does Laertes tell Ophelia about her boyfriend?

2. How many times does the ghost appear in Act 1, Scene 1?

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

4. Before he has seen the ghost, how does Hamlet describe his parents' marriage?

5. After watching Hamlet and Ophelia together in Act 3, Scene 1, what does Claudius decide to do with Hamlet?

Short Essay Questions

1. After his first speech in the play, Claudius shifts from talking about the country to talking specifically about Hamlet. What does he say about Hamlet's grief? What does Gertrude say?

2. In Act 1, Scene 2, how does Hamlet act toward Claudius and Gertrude? When he is left alone, what does he say about his feelings toward them?

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

4. How does Hamlet act towards Ophelia during the play-within-a-play?

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

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

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

8. Why does Claudius claim he cannot seek forgiveness for his crimes?

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. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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