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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Gloucester's illegitimate son?

2. Who says: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is / To have a thankless child"

3. Where does Act I, Scene 3 take place?

4. Who says, "Here's a night pities neither wise man nor fool"?

5. What did Oswald's letter from Goneril cause Regan and Cornwall to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is King Lear dividing up his kingdom?

2. How are Kent's actions in relation to Oswald similar to Cordelia's actions in relation to Lear?

3. When Lear arrives at Regan's castle, what is one of the actions Regan takes to show that she is selfish?

4. Why does Edmund bemoan the fact that he is illegitimate?

5. How are Goneril and Regan shown to be disloyal daughters in the play?

6. Why can King Lear's son-in-laws not tell who Lear loves best in the beginning of the play?

7. While King Lear stays with Goneril, what are his knights interfering with?

8. When Edgar leaves Edmund at the end of Act I, Scene II, why does Edmund laugh?

9. Why are Goneril and Regan awarded large parts of the kingdom?

10. The Fools says who will whip him and for what?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the role of the Fool emphasize and/or relieve the tragedy of the play? Support your reasoning with examples from the play.

Essay Topic 2

Would Edgar would make a good King of England? Why or why not? Please support your answer with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Animals are used in the play to describe various characters. Why does Shakespeare use animals to describe the characters instead of something else? What theme does this connect to? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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