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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 the setting for Act I Scene V?

2. According to the Captain in Act I Scene II Olivia is the daughter of a count that died how recently?

3. The Captain tells Viola in Act I Scene II that he last saw her brother clinging to what?

4. Who says in Act II Scene IV, “I am all the daughters of my father's house, And all the brothers too”?

5. The jester says in Act II Scene III that “Malvolio’s nose is no” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What discovery does Viola/Cesario make when Malvolio catches up with her in Act II Scene II?

2. How does Olivia feel about Orsino in Act I? How are these feelings illustrated?

3. What is Malvolio’s response to the letter found in Act II?

4. Describe Antonio’s relationship with Sebastian. How is this relationship illustrated in Act II?

5. What is indicated by Orsino’s use of language in the play?

6. What message and memento does Olivia give to Viola/Cesario at her departure in Act I Scene V?

7. What disguised identity does Viola take on in Act I? What is her appearance like in this disguise?

8. How have Viola’s situation and circumstances changed when she reappears in Act I Scene IV?

9. What incident leads the merrymakers in the play to plot revenge on Malvolio in Act II Scene III?

10. Describe the character of Maria. What is Maria’s role in Olivia’s household?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and analyze the theme of language and wordplay in Twelfth Night. How is this theme exemplified by Maria, Sir Toby Belch, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek? How does Feste illustrate this theme? How is subtext related to the theme and what characters engage in using subtext?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the style of language used by Orsino in the play. How does Orsino’s speaking style differ from that of the other characters? What is indicated by his use of language? How is rank and social status indicated through language in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Define literary allusion and discuss examples of allusion in Twelfth Night. What is Shakespeare alluding to in citing Troilus, Pandarus, and Cressida in Act III Scene I? What Roman and Greek myths are referenced in the play? How well would Shakespeare’s audience have known and understood these literary and mythical allusions?

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