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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The relationship that Will had with what person enabled him to gain more knowledge and have greater access to books?
(a) Robert Greene
(b) Edmund Campion
(c) Richard Field
(d) Christopher Marlowe

2. What important thing was developed in Will through his early education?
(a) A love of mathematics
(b) Financial independence
(c) Stellar grammar
(d) A love of language

3. Will’s early education was most likely conducted in what language?
(a) Latin
(b) French
(c) German
(d) English

4. What did Will see upon entering his new home city that made him afraid?
(a) People dying from the plague
(b) Heads of executed men impaled on spears
(c) The crumbling defenses of the city
(d) An army of soldiers coming out to meet him

5. What appears to be a driving force behind Will’s hasty marriage?
(a) Career opportunities
(b) Money
(c) Weather conditions
(d) Pregnancy

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of Will’s plays was particularly influenced by the work of Christopher Marlowe?

2. What did Will apparently believe in as the “ultimate religion?”

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

4. What illegal activity was John Shakespeare involved in?

5. In what city did Will live next?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Will’s father, John Shakespeare, influenced Will’s exposure to theater at a young age.

2. Why would John Shakespeare’s fall into disrepute have been bothersome to Will?

3. What types of things would Will have needed to learn in order to be a successful actor in his day?

4. Who was Edmund Campion? What faith was he devoted to?

5. Describe the community in which Will grew up. Was it in a rural area? Was it in a big city?

6. What was another way that Will would have been exposed to theater as a young child?

7. Discuss the possible reason for Will’s hasty marriage and identify which of Will’s plays reflects the same urgency between a male and female character.

8. What was the character of John Shakespeare? Was he an upstanding citizen?

9. What was Tamburlaine the Great? Who wrote it? Why was it significant?

10. What was a remarkable characteristic about the villain Tamburlaine in Tamburlaine the Great? Why was this characteristic remarkable?

(see the answer keys)

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