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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who enters after Hamlet and Ophelia exit the stage?
(a) The Player and the troupe
(b) Ariel and Puck
(c) Claudius and Gertrude
(d) Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony

2. What does Guildenstern see when he looks at the coin after trying a new method?
(a) Tails
(b) Nothing. The coin has disappeared.
(c) Heads
(d) His hand is dirty.

3. What are the instruments the musicians play?
(a) Bagpipe, horn, and cymbals
(b) Horn, flute, and harpsichord
(c) Trumpet, drum, and harp
(d) Drum, flute, and horn

4. What is the Player's response when Guildenstern asks if the troupe found them by chance?
(a) He says it was.
(b) He says nothing is pure chance.
(c) He says they heard the clinking of his coins.
(d) He says it is in their script.

5. How does Rosencrantz show that he is confused?
(a) He asks Guildenstern what his name is.
(b) He asks which way they entered the room.
(c) He cannot remember the coin game
(d) He asks Guildenstern what just happened.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Alfred's response when Guildenstern suggests they could set a dramatic precedent?

2. Why is the Player so happy to see the two men?

3. What is Rosencrantz's emotional condition as a result of his encounters?

4. What event does Guildenstern recall as they talk about questions?

5. In what way is Rosencrantz defensive as he discusses the game with Guildenstern?

Short Essay Questions

1. Guildenstern asks Rosencrantz if he appears to be contradicting himself. What is Rosencrantz's odd reply?

2. Throughout the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern never leave the stage. What stops them from following the Queen's attendants to go find Hamlet?

3. How does Gertrude reinforce the idea that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are friends of Hamlet's?

4. Why do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern speak differently to Claudius and Gertrude?

5. Describe the somewhat bizarre entrance of Hamlet and Ophelia.

6. How does Guildenstern test the oddity of the coin game?

7. How does the Player reinforce the idea that the troupe is willing to perform a vulgar show?

8. How does the subject of fear affect both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

9. What is the Player's misconception about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

10. What is the feeling the audience gets from the strange coin spinning game Guildenstern and Rosencrantz play?

(see the answer keys)

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