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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 the letter that the sailors deliver in Act 4, Scene 6, it says: "when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these fellows some means to the king: they have letters for him." What is the writer of the letter asking?
(a) Give the sailors a tip for delivering the letters.
(b) Help the sailors get in to see the dead king's body.
(c) This letter is meant for the king. You should not read it.
(d) Help the sailors get in to see Claudius.

2. Claudius suggests a duel between Laertes and Hamlet, but that type of duel usually is not deadly. What does Claudius suggest they do to injure Hamlet?
(a) Fix Laertes's sword so it is sharp.
(b) Force Hamlet to drink poison before the fight.
(c) Bribe the referee.
(d) Damage Hamlet's armor so he is vulnerable.

3. After witnessing Hamlet kill someone, Gertrude hurries to find Claudius. Who is he talking to when she comes in?
(a) Laertes.
(b) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
(c) The ambassadors to Norway.
(d) Laertes and Ophelia.

4. Who is Gertrude truly loyal to?
(a) Herself.
(b) Claudius.
(c) Hamlet.
(d) No one.

5. The sailors from the pirate ships deliver letters to Elsinore. Who are the letters from?
(a) Laertes.
(b) Hamlet.
(c) Horatio.
(d) Gertrude.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the end of Act 4, Scene 5, what does Claudius offer to do for Laertes?

2. What do the gravediggers say about Ophelia's burial?

3. When he is asked where his first victim's body is, what does Hamlet do?

4. After he leaves the ship, how will Hamlet make his way back to Elsinore?

5. As the funeral procession makes it way through the graveyard, Hamlet notices there are "maimed rites." What does that signify?

Short Essay Questions

1. What plan do Laertes and Claudius come up with in Act 4, Scene 7 to kill Hamlet?

2. Hamlet finally confronts his mother in Act 3, Scene 4, speaking harshly to her as he tries to force her to realize her own complicity in the crime. What happens to change his tone?

3. As Hamlet travels to the boat for England, what or who does Hamlet find on a plain in Denmark?

4. When Hamlet hears about Fortinbras and his attacks on Poland, what does he say about Fortinbras and about himself?

5. At the end of the play, we learn of the death of two minor characters. Who are they, and how do we learn of their death?

6. In Act 4, Scene 3, what does Claudius reveal to the audience about his plans for Hamlet in England?

7. When Claudius hears about Polonius's death, what is his first thought?

8. Who is the first person in Elsinore to find out that Hamlet is on his way back to Denmark instead of going to England? How does that person find out?

9. In the last scene of Act 3, Polonius is killed. At the end of the scene, what happens to his body?

10. Hamlet calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern "a sponge." Why does he say that?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 891 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample