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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. How does Bloom characterize "Julius Caesar"?
(a) As the tragedy of Brutus.
(b) As the tragedy of all politics.
(c) As a warning against ambition.
(d) As the tragedy of the Senate.

2. What does Bloom say is King John's biggest problem?
(a) His brother.
(b) His mother.
(c) His father.
(d) His son.

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

4. What kinds of interpretations of "Midsummer Night's Dream" does Bloom say he resents?
(a) Interpretations that minimize the war of the sexes.
(b) Interpretations that turn the play into a dark spectacle.
(c) Interpretations that treat the play as a political drama.
(d) Interpretations that over-sexualize the play.

5. Which critic is NOT a 'romantic' critic?
(a) W. H. Auden.
(b) Samuel Johnson.
(c) A.C. Bradley.
(d) Hazlitt.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the men overcome by, in "Love's Labor's Lost"?

2. What makes "Love's Labor's Lost" one of Bloom's favorite plays?

3. Where does Shakespeare use the themes of "Two Gentlemen of Verona", in Bloom's interpretation?

4. In what way does Bloom say Shakespeare departs from Marlowe's precursor "The Jew of Malta"?

5. What quality do Faulconbridge and Hamlet have in common, according to Bloom?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Bloom say Shakespeare's compare to in terms of world religion?

3. What is Marlowe's influence on "Titus Andronicus"?

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

5. What was Nietzsche's influence on Bloom's view of Shakespeare?

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

7. What are the main themes of "King John", in Bloom's interpretation?

8. How does Bloom say Shakespeare confronts the viewer's personality in "Comedy of Errors"?

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

10. What is it about Falstaff that Bloom likes so much?

(see the answer keys)

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