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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. What does Iago swear to do to Othello and Desdemona's 'fine tuned' love?

2. To what genre is this play categorized?

3. During their discussion while on watch together, what does Iago urge Cassio to do?

4. How does Othello really feel about Cassio, even after his brawl in the street?

5. What does Brabantio find that convinces him his daughter really has escaped to get married?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Othello so torn about firing Cassio?

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

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

4. What does Desdemona say when she takes the stand at Othello's trial?

5. What does Emilia tell Cassio when he asks her to put in a good word for him with Desdemona?

6. What trait in Emilia does Iago mock several times throughout the book?

7. Why is Roderigo so unhappy about Othello's marriage?

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

9. Why is Iago so upset with Othello at the beginning of the play?

10. How did Othello and Desdemona meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are Othello's final words, and what do they imply? How do these words sum up the entire theme of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Who is involved in the attack on Cassio, and what do they have to gain by doing this? How does this night alter the plot?

Essay Topic 3

Othello is a black man in power. How does this major feature about him affect the people around him? What are people's first impressions of him? Does his skin color change the way people think about him? Why or why not? Make sure you support your answers with examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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