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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. Where are the Turks heading at the beginning of the play?

2. Where is Iago from?

3. Who is Brabantio referring to when he says, "It would have been better if she had married even you."

4. What are Iago and Roderigo discussing as the first scene opens?

5. How does Igao comfort Roderigo after the trial is over and the marriage is declared legitimate?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Othello so torn about firing Cassio?

2. What does the Duke decide to do after he has heard Othello and Brabantio's sides of the case against Othello?

3. What does Iago tell Montano about Cassio on his first night in Cyprus?

4. When we first see Iago speaking with Othello, what does Iago claim to not be?

5. What does Iago plan to make Othello believe after the trial is over?

6. What is the celebration in Act 2, Scene 2 in honor of?

7. What does Cassio really want after his hired help is mocked by the clown?

8. Why is Brabantio so mad at Othello?

9. Why is Othello at the inn when he receives the summons from the Duke?

10. What does Brabantio see that convinces him that Desdemona has eloped?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bianca was a minor character whose presence made a big difference in the plot. How did she accomplish this? What are some ways that her presence, however brief, alters the outcome of the plot? What would have happened differently if Bianca had not been in the book at all?

Essay Topic 2

Why might Shakespeare have allowed Iago to live at the end of the play when so many others died? What kind of message does this send? Should Iago have been killed? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Which character did you relate with the most in this book? Why is this? How did this character change throughout the book?

(see the answer keys)

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