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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 dog breed does Sir Toby Belch tell Sir Andrew that Maria is in Act II Scene III?

2. How does Sir Andrew Aguecheek describe the jester’s singing voice in Act II Scene III?

3. Viola states in her soliloquy in Act II Scene II, “I am the man: if it be so, as 'tis, Poor lady, she were better love” 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. Orsino describes music as a “sweet sound, that breathes upon a bank of ______” in Act I Scene I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Orsino and Viola/Cesario discuss in Act II Scene IV?

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

3. How is Malvolio’s character perceived by Fabian, Sir Toby Belch, and Feste?

4. How does Olivia receive Viola/Cesario when she arrives at Olivia’s house in Act I Scene V?

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

6. Describe the character of Malvolio. What is Malvolio’s role in Olivia’s household? How does Olivia feel about him?

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

8. How are Sir Toby Belch’s feelings for Maria illustrated in the play?

9. With whom is Orsino preoccupied in Act I Scene I? How does this preoccupation manifest in his character?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Feste the Clown in the play. What is Feste’s role in Olivia’s household? What does he represent symbolically in the play? How does Feste stand out amongst the other main characters?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Sebastian and Viola in the play. What similarities do these siblings share? What differences? How do the twins feel about one another? How are they perceived by other characters in the play?

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