Hamlet Test
Authored by Becky Harris
English
11th - 12th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 800+ times
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About
This assessment examines Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, focusing on the major themes, literary devices, character motivations, and plot developments that define this cornerstone work of English literature. Appropriate for grades 11-12, the quiz requires students to demonstrate sophisticated literary analysis skills, including the ability to identify themes versus motifs, understand dramatic irony and literary conventions of revenge tragedy, analyze character relationships and psychological motivations, and interpret Shakespeare's use of language and dramatic structure. Students need a thorough understanding of the play's complex web of deception, surveillance, and revenge, as well as knowledge of Elizabethan cultural context, particularly societal views on revenge and the afterlife. The questions demand close reading skills to distinguish between explicit plot events and their deeper symbolic meanings, requiring students to analyze how Shakespeare uses literary techniques like soliloquies, plays-within-plays, and shifts between verse and prose to develop character and advance themes. Created by Becky Harris, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 11 and 12. This comprehensive assessment serves multiple instructional purposes, functioning effectively as a summative unit test, review activity, or formative assessment tool to gauge student comprehension before final examinations. The quiz can be administered as homework to reinforce reading assignments, used as a study guide for class discussions, or deployed as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge before deeper analytical work. Teachers can use individual question clusters to focus on specific literary elements—thematic analysis, character development, or dramatic structure—making it adaptable for differentiated instruction. This assessment aligns with Common Core standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 for theme analysis, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 for character analysis, and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5 for understanding dramatic structure, while supporting the rigorous textual analysis expectations essential for college-preparatory English coursework.
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35 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Out of the following, what is not a notable
theme in the play?
Decay and Corruption
Sanity vs. Insanity
Ideal vs. Reality
Friendship vs. Romance
Action vs. Inaction
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.3
CCSS.RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.8.10
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Out of the following, what is not a notable
motif in the play?
Instruments
Weeds
Ears
Misogyny
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.2
CCSS.RI. 9-10.9
CCSS.RI.11-12.9
CCSS.RL.8.2
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
During Shakespeare’s time, what was the
general societal belief about people who got revenge?
They were the most intelligent.
They were the best leaders.
They would become angels.
They would be condemned to hell.
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.1
CCSS.RL.11-12.2
CCSS.RI.11-12.1
CCSS.RI.11-12.2
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
As a result of a prior conflict Denmark is now
in possession of Norway at the beginning of the play. It
was heard that which character was especially angry
about this situation and wanted revenge?
Laertes
Fortinbras
Osric
Polonius
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.3
CCSS.RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.8.7
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What is not an element seen in a typical
revenge tragedy?
Ghost
Madness
Play within a play
Physical horrors
Weddings
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.3
CCSS.RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10
CCSS.RL.8.7
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What does Horatio think about the sighting
of King Hamlet’s ghost?
It’s good to know that we can make contact
with the dead.
It means that he should question Gertrude.
It’s an omen of bad things to come.
It’s too frightening to view.
Tags
CCSS.RL.11-12.1
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What does Claudius permit Laertes to do but
prevent Hamlet from doing?
Return to college
Have a girlfriend
Join the army
Travel around Europe
Tags
CCSS.RL.8.3
CCSS.RL.9-10.3
CCSS.RL.6.3
CCSS.RL.7.3
CCSS.RL.11-12.9
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