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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. While King Lear is staying with Goneril, how does she command her servants to treat the King and his people?

3. How many suitors does Cordelia have when the King tells them that she will have no dowry?

4. When King Lear announces that he is retiring, what does he want to do with his lands?

5. Who carries a torch and finds the King and company in the forest?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Instead of explaining why he attacked Oswald, what does Kent say?

4. What request, by Goneril, drives the King to leave her house?

5. Lear feels like he has lost his identity at Goneril's house for what reason?

6. How does Oswald deny the King's authority in Goneril's house?

7. What act of nature is ravaging the earth and Lear?

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

9. What is ironic about Gloucester bemoaning that he was betrayed by his son?

10. What is the point of Act 2, Scene 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shakespeare wrote this play centuries ago. Why is this play still relevant today? Are there any themes or messages in the play that are timeless and universal? Please use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

In Act 4, Scene 6 we are told that there is reason in madness. Using examples from the play, discuss the truth or falsehood of this statement.

Essay Topic 3

Using examples from the text, what are the connections between the main plot and the subplot in the play?

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This section contains 493 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample