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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. Before Hamlet hears about the ghost, how does he feel about Claudius?
(a) He is afraid of him.
(b) He loves him.
(c) He does not trust him.
(d) He misses him.

2. What does the ghost do to Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 4?
(a) Ignores him.
(b) Puts a curse on him.
(c) Beckons him to follow.
(d) Smiles at him.

3. How does Horatio describe the ghost to Hamlet?
(a) More angry than sad.
(b) Frightening.
(c) Exciting.
(d) More sad than angry.

4. In Act 1, Scene 3, where is Laertes going?
(a) Back to college.
(b) To go to a new school.
(c) To live in another country.
(d) Off to war.

5. Hamlet sees Ophelia just as he finishes the "To be or not to be" speech. How does he act when he first sees her?
(a) He greets her pleasantly.
(b) He runs away.
(c) He yells at her.
(d) He stares at her but says nothing.

Short Answer Questions

1. Before the play is performed, Hamlet has a long conversation with the First Player. What is he telling the Player?

2. When he is giving Laertes advice, what does Polonius say about friends?

3. What does Claudius say in Act 3, Scene 3 about his own thoughts and words?

4. After hearing about Hamlet's strange behavior, what does Polonius say about his own decisions?

5. After listening to Ophelia's description of Hamlet, Polonius believes he has found the explanation for Hamlet's behavior. What does he decide to do next?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Once alone after the play-within-a-play, Claudius bemoans his crimes and falls to his knees in prayer. But at the end of the scene, what does he say about his praying?

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

4. 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?

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

10. In Act 2, Scene 1, how does Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior?

(see the answer keys)

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