View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the King fear his son will do after scolding him?

2. What does Poins do when he slips away from Falstaff and Gadshill?

3. When the King meets with Hotspur, what does he say has grown thin?

4. What does Hotspur tell his wife when she asks about his plans?

5. What does Glendower anticipate will happen when the warriors leave for battle?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Sir John Falstaff?

2. What is the letter Hotspur reads in his castle about?

3. What is the relationship between King Henry IV and his eldest son, Prince Hal?

4. How does Shakespeare set the scene for the morning of battle?

5. What does the King say to Worcester when he comes to the camp, and how does he respond?

6. What does the Prince ask Falstaff for during the battle, and what does Falstaff give him?

7. What does Falstaff say when he is left alone during the battle?

8. What does the King say he is envious of at the beginning of the book, and why?

9. What does Falstaff say to the Prince before he is hushed on the highway?

10. Who is the better swordsman, King Henry or the Prince of Wales?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This play was written to be performed on a bare stage. Find examples in the text that show how Shakespeare painted the scene in words. What visual imagery does he use to show us what is there? What verbal cues are there to tell the audience where the scene is taking place?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of honor as presented in this play. What is the relationship of various characters towards the concept of honor? How are Hotspur and Falstaff at two far ends of the spectrum when it comes to honor? Use quotes to describe these two men. Where does Prince Hal fall in this spectrum?

Essay Topic 3

One of the most interesting aspects of Henry IV, Part 1 is the mixture of comedy and serious action. Looking at the overall action of the play, what is the effect if this mixture? Why would Shakespeare put so much comedy into a fairly serious tale about historical battles and power struggles? Does comedy allow the playwright to comment in a different way about honor? War? Struggle?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample