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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. As the funeral procession makes it way through the graveyard, Hamlet notices there are "maimed rites." What does that signify?
(a) That the person who died was poor.
(b) That the person died from the plague.
(c) That the person died by suicide.
(d) That the person who died was very old.

2. When he is asked where his first victim's body is, what does Hamlet do?
(a) He refuses to speak.
(b) He laughs.
(c) He threatens to kill more people.
(d) He answers with a riddle.

3. What happens between Laertes and Hamlet in the graveyard scene?
(a) They both jump into Ophelia's grave and get in a fight.
(b) Laertes blames Hamlet for his sister's death.
(c) They shake hands over Ophelia's grave.
(d) Laertes tries to kill Hamlet.

4. Where does Claudius want the body of Hamlet's first victim to be taken?
(a) To the police.
(b) To the chapel.
(c) To the graveyard.
(d) To the doctor.

5. Who is "poor Yorick"?
(a) Hamlet's servant, who is old and tired.
(b) The gravedigger who is old and tired.
(c) The king's jester, now dead.
(d) Hamlet's grandfather, now dead.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Polonius tell Gertrude to do in Act 3, Scene 4 regarding Hamlet?

2. As Gertrude lays flowers at Ophelia's grave, what does she say?

3. While explaining Hamlet's crime to his courtiers, why does Claudius say he has to be gentle with Hamlet?

4. Who does Hamlet kill in his mother's room?

5. What happens to Horatio at the end of the play?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Polonius's death, Ophelia comes to see Gertrude. What do we learn about Ophelia in that scene?

2. 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?

3. After Polonius's death, what does Gertrude tell Claudius about Hamlet?

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

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

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

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

8. Whose burial does Hamlet witness in Act 5?

9. List the major characters who die during the last scene of the play.

10. Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius's death. Claudius says that there are two reasons why he cannot have Hamlet publicly arrested and punished. What are those two reasons?

(see the answer keys)

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