English 11 Midterm

William Shakespeare wrote

• plays.

• sonnets.

• tragedies, histories, and comedies.

• all of the above

Answer explanation

Shakespeare wrote plays and poems! The three types of plays he wrote are tragedies, histories, and comedies.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

What was the name of Shakespeare's theater in London?

• The Stage

• The Canon

• The Globe

• The Ball

Answer explanation

Shakespeare was part of a troupe that performed at The Globe theater in London. It burned down after a canon was shot during one of Shakespeare's plays!

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

The plot in Hamlet is centered around the theme of

• revenge.

• jealousy.

• family.

• superstition.

Answer explanation

Hamlet is pursuing revenge for his father's murder. His uncle killed his father in order to take the throne of Denmark!

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

Which of the following words does NOT accurately describe the TONE of Hamlet?

• melancholy

• dark

• contemplative

• joyous

Answer explanation

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's tragedies, so it is definitely not a happy story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Tragic heroes like Hamlet have a character ___________ that brings about their death.

• episode

• flaw

• understanding

• growth

Answer explanation

Tragic heroes have a tragic flaw that brings about their death/downfall.

Which word BEST describes Gertrude's attitude toward her husband's death?

• shocked

• uncaring

• devastated

• angry

Answer explanation

The fact that she marries his brother only a month or two after the former king is buried shows how little she seems to care about his death.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is depressed for two reasons. What are they?

• His mother has been ignoring him recently, and his father recently died.

• He's in love with Ophelia, but she won't return his attentions.

• He wanted to be king, but his uncle stole the throne.

• His father dies under mysterious circumstances, and his mother quickly re-married his uncle.

Answer explanation

How would YOU feel if your dad dies and your mom suddenly marries his brother? Pretty sketchy, Gertrude.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

Which of the following is NOT a tactic that Hamlet uses in his quest to get revenge on his uncle?

• pretending to be crazy

• re-enacting his father's death

• killing his uncle's spies (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern)

• asking a rival for help (Fortinbras)

Answer explanation

Hmm. Let's see. Act crazy? Check. Put on a play that depicts my father's gruesome murder? Check. Get my old college buddies killed? Check.

What is Hamlet saying in the following lines from the play?

O, that this too too solid flesh would melt

Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!

Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

• Hamlet misses his father and wants to hold a memorial service in his honor.

• Hamlet is depressed and wants to die.

• Hamlet is angry at God for allowing Claudius to become king.

• Hamlet wants to marry Ophelia.

Answer explanation

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The famous line "To be or not to be-- that is the question," most closely means:

• To live or not to live-- that is the question.

• To act or not to act-- that is the answer we have to decide on.

• To sin or ask forgiveness-- that is the question before me.

• To fight back or to forget my troubles-- that's what I need to remember.

Answer explanation

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3