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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Will’s involvement in what group is discussed in Chapter 5?
(a) The Mayor’s Actors
(b) The King’s Men
(c) The City’s Troupe
(d) The Queen’s Men

2. What particular aspect did the public want in their plays during Will’s day?
(a) Romance
(b) Human dignity
(c) Violence
(d) Honesty

3. Which of Will’s plays does NOT discuss loss of social status?
(a) Twelfth Night
(b) The Tempest
(c) Romeo and Juliet
(d) The Merchant of Venice

4. Which play is presented in Chapter 5 as portraying Will’s empathy with citizens of the lower classes?
(a) Henry VI
(b) Henry IV
(c) King Lear
(d) Romeo and Juliet

5. In which of Will’s plays do characters get married because of an unhealthy obsession?
(a) Hamlet
(b) Macbeth
(c) Midsummer Night's Dream
(d) Othello

6. What phrase best describes life outside the ancient Roman wall surrounding London in Will’s day?
(a) Filled with recreation areas
(b) Filled with people from other countries
(c) Filled with animals
(d) Filled with prisons

7. Who was the prominent and hunted Catholic leader that Will met during this time?
(a) John Shakespeare
(b) Christopher Marlowe
(c) Robert Greene
(d) Edmund Campion

8. Chapter 6 begins with a discussion of…
(a) Life in nearby France
(b) The political climate of Will’s day
(c) The life of Will’s children
(d) Life in the various sections of London

9. What illegal activity was Will possibly involved in?
(a) Stealing from the rich
(b) Deer poaching
(c) Whiskey brewing
(d) Illicit wool trading

10. What is another aspect of Will’s early life that impacted his later theatrical career?
(a) Attending local festivals at which plays were presented
(b) Being selected as the winner of a national contest
(c) Traveling extensively outside of his home town
(d) Studying with renowned playwrights of his day

11. What was John Shakespeare’s primary occupation?
(a) Priest
(b) Builder
(c) Teacher
(d) Glove maker

12. In which of these writings did Will refer to his wife?
(a) His will
(b) His theater contract
(c) His epic poems
(d) His sonnets

13. What did Will apparently believe in as the “ultimate religion?”
(a) Roman Catholicism
(b) Romantic love
(c) Protestantism
(d) Paganism

14. Chapter 1 focuses largely on the importance of…
(a) Will’s mental aptitude
(b) Will’s health
(c) Will’s childhood and education
(d) Will’s religious preferences

15. Chapter 3 begins with a discussion of…
(a) The type of clothes Will would have worn
(b) The dangers of traveling by road during Will’s day
(c) The health challenges prevalent during Will’s time
(d) The typical rural English household

Short Answer Questions

1. What activity did Will try to avoid while living in London?

2. Where did Will go after leaving the county where he met Campion?

3. Which character in Henry VI led a rebellion against the upper class?

4. The relationship that Will had with what person enabled him to gain more knowledge and have greater access to books?

5. Which theme in Will’s later works likely stemmed from his family life?

(see the answer keys)

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