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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 dominates the "The Merchant of Venice", according to Bloom?
(a) Shylock.
(b) Portia.
(c) Antonio.
(d) Jessica.

2. To whom does Bloom compare Puck unfavorably?
(a) Caliban.
(b) Falstaff.
(c) Prospero.
(d) Hamlet.

3. What does Bloom say "Love's Labor's Lost" has in common with other plays?
(a) Mixing of social classes.
(b) Heroes brought low and villains elevated.
(c) Surprising twists and turns.
(d) Love winning out against the odds.

4. To what later character does Bloom connect Brutus from "Julius Caesar"?
(a) Iago.
(b) Caliban.
(c) Regan and Goneril.
(d) Macbeth.

5. What does Bloom reiterate about Christopher Marlowe?
(a) That he was murdered by English government agents.
(b) That he drank heavily while writing.
(c) That he was older than Shakespeare.
(d) That he was a youngest son.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who saves "Two Gentlemen of Verona", in Bloom's opinion?

2. What did Shakespeare create with pain, in Bloom's interpretation?

3. What kinds of interpretations of "Midsummer Night's Dream" does Bloom say he resents?

4. Bloom describes a Nietzschean tendency toward what, in "Twelfth Night"?

5. How does Bloom characterize the end of "Richard III"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Bloom say the relationship between men and women 'Love's Labor's Lost' is emblematic of the relations between the sexes in other plays?

2. What personality development does Bloom describe in "Taming of the Shrew"?

3. What is Bloom's estimation of "Julius Caesar"?

4. How does Bloom describe the meaning of his title, "The Invention of the Human"?

5. Who are the prominent critics Bloom cites as the most influential critics of Shakespeare?

6. What aspect of Nietzsche's philosophy is present in "Richard II", in Bloom's interpretation?

7. What similarity does Bloom say there is between "Twelfth Night" and a Ben Jonson play?

8. What makes Rosalind a great character in "As You Like It"?

9. What does Bloom say distinguished Faulconbridge among Shakespeare's characters?

10. How does Bloom defend "Midsummer Night's Dream" from criticism?

(see the answer keys)

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