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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) Tell Prince Hamlet about the ghost.
(b) Watch for the ghost on the next night.
(c) Talk to a priest.
(d) Talk to the king.

2. Before he returns to school, what does Laertes tell Ophelia about her boyfriend?
(a) Horatio just wants her to sleep with him.
(b) Polonius is an abusive boyfriend.
(c) Hamlet just wants her to sleep with him.
(d) As a prince, Hamlet may not get to choose who he marries.

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

4. Polonius gives Laertes plenty of advice before Laertes leaves Elsinore. What does Polonius tell Laertes about talking and listening to people?
(a) Practice talking to strangers to build up your confidence.
(b) Talk to people, but do not listen to them.
(c) Let women do the talking; men should listen.
(d) Listen to people, but do not talk very much.

5. After the play, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius meet to discuss Hamlet. Polonius joins them. What does he tell Claudius?
(a) Hamlet is on his way to come see Ophelia.
(b) Hamlet is on his way to come see Claudius.
(c) Hamlet is acting crazy and threatening Gertrude.
(d) Hamlet is going to see his mother and Polonius will eavesdrop on their conversation.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Act 1, Scene 3, what does Polonius ask Ophelia to do about Hamlet?

2. At the end of the first act, what does Hamlet warn his friends he might do?

3. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do during the play's performance?

4. 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?

5. What message do the ambassadors bring Claudius back from Norway?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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?

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

6. 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?

7. After hearing Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior in Act 2, Scene 1, what does Polonius decide is the cause of Hamlet's behavior and what does he decide to do about it?

8. What does Claudius learn about Norway when the Ambassadors he sent at the beginning of the play return?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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