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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. Ariel lets the other ships return to Naples in order to

2. What does Caliban believe Trinculo to be?

3. The only nobleman who has a calm and positive attitude during the storm at sea is

4. The beginning of The Tempest takes place

5. What does Ferdinand say about Miranda in comparison to all of the women he has encountered?

Short Essay Questions

1. How can Prospero's use/treatment of Miranda be characterized?

2. In Act III, Scene I, what contrasts are shown between Ferdinand and Miranda?

3. What function in the play is served by Act II, Scene II with Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban?

4. Why does Miranda regret telling Ferdinand her name so quickly?

5. Why does Prospero create the tempest? What is his initial incentive?

6. How does Antonio persuade Sebastian to go along with the plan to assassinate Alonso and take over Naples?

7. When Caliban starts babbling to Stephano and Trinculo about what he can show them on the island, what is Trinculo's initial thought?

8. How is Act I, Scene II with Miranda and Ferdinand a kind of exposition for the plot?

9. What are the characteristics of Ferdinand and Miranda that come off as potentially negative, but are overshadowed by their positive qualities?

10. What is the metaphorical significance of the storm at sea in the exposition of the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the metaphor of a tempest suggests an unnatural upheaval in nature that then returns the environment back to normal, is this the case in the play? Do things return to normal by the play's end? Is there more ambiguity than the idea of a tempest suggests? Why, or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Ferdinand, Miranda and Gonzalo are considered moral beacons throughout the play. Compare them to other characters in the play, citing examples where their moral and pure characteristics directly contrast with the play's more treacherous characters.

Essay Topic 3

The exposition of a story is the anchor that grounds all details of the plot. However, the placement of exposition within a story can vary. What is your understanding of the exposition in "The Tempest?" Where does it take place? Why does it take place at that point in the play? What is the significance of that placement?

(see the answer keys)

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