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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 is Katharina’s response when Petruchio asks her in Act II, Scene I, “Why, what’s a moveable?”

2. Speaking in soliloquy, Petruchio states in Act II, Scene I, “Say that she rail; why then I'll tell her plain / She sings as sweetly as” what?

3. From where is Lucentio traveling in Act I, Scene I?

4. The Lord orders his page to disguise himself as what in the play’s Induction?

5. Tranio (in disguise) claims to be from where in Act II, Scene I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can be discerned about Baptista’s daughters from the conversation in Act I, Scene I?

2. What is an “induction”? What is the subject of the Induction in The Taming of the Shrew?

3. How does Petruchio respond to Hortensio’s warning in Act I, Scene II? What plan do these friends develop?

4. What matter of business does Baptista attend to after agreeing to Katharina’s marriage in Act II?

5. What plot do Lucentio and Tranio concoct in Act I, Scene I? What is their objective with this scheme?

6. How do Lucentio and Tranio introduce themselves in Act II, Scene I? What do Baptista and Petruchio agree upon in this scene?

7. Where are Lucentio and Tranio traveling in Act I, Scene I? What conversation do they overhear in this scene?

8. How is Petruchio’s character generally interpreted in productions of The Taming of the Shrew?

9. What possible causes are illustrated for Katharina’s personality traits in Act II?

10. How is Katharina’s character established as “shrewish” in Act II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the purpose of the Induction in The Taming of the Shrew. What have critics written about the play’s Induction? How does the Induction relate to the subject and themes presented in the main storyline? Why does Shakespeare not return to Christopher Sly’s story?

Essay Topic 2

Personal Rivalries in The Taming of the Shrew

a. Discuss the rivalries for Bianca’s hand in marriage in the play. Who seeks to court Bianca? What plots do these suitors develop in order to achieve their goals?

b. Discuss the sibling rivalry between Katharina and Bianca in the narrative. Why does Katharina resent her sister? How are Bianca’s feeling for Katharina illustrated in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Define and discuss “subtext” and “innuendo” in literature and drama. What are examples of sexual innuendo between Katharina and Petruchio in their first meeting? What does the subtext in this scene reveal to the audience/reader? Is subtext easier to identify when reading or viewing the play?

(see the answer keys)

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