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Macbeth Act I Quiz Review

Total questions: 40

Worksheet time: 20mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which country do Macbeth and Banquo defeat when Scotland is invaded?

a)

Ireland

b)

Norway

c)

France

d)

Denmark

2.

How many witches are in Act I?

a)

None

b)

One

c)

Two

d)

Three

3.

What happened to the previous Thane of Cawdor?

a)

He was executed for treason

b)

He fled town, never to be seen again

c)

He died in battle

d)

The witches put a curse on him

4.

What is the main prophecy that the witches give Banquo?

a)

He will be King of Scotland

b)

His sons will be kings

c)

They don't tell him anything

d)

They tell him that he will never sleep again

5.

Who brings the news from King Duncan to tell Macbeth that he will be the new Thane of Cawdor?

a)

Banquo

b)

Captain/Sergeant

c)

Lady Macbeth

d)

Ross

6.

King Duncan is...

a)

Old and senile

b)

Suspicious of Macbeth

c)

A good and gracious king

d)

Heartless and ruthless

7.

King Duncan proclaims that this person will be the next King of Scotland.

a)

Macbeth

b)

Malcolm

c)

Banquo

d)

Ross

8.

The most evil character so far is...

a)

Banquo

b)

King Duncan

c)

Macbeth

d)

Lady Macbeth

9.

The characters who have influenced Macbeth the most so far are...

a)

The witches and their predictions

b)

Ross and Angus

c)

Lady Macbeth

d)

Lady Macbeth AND the witches and their predictions

10.

Which character does Shakespeare use as a foil character to the protagonist in Act I?

a)

Banquo

b)

The Witches/The Weird Sisters

c)

Ross

d)

Angus

11.

Which of these techniques signifies an internal conflict in Act I?

a)

Motif

b)

Aside

c)

Allusion

d)

Personification

12.

Which of the following is NOT a prophecy that the witches give Macbeth?

a)

He is the Thane of Cawdor

b)

He is the Thane of Glamis

c)

His sons will be kings

d)

He will be King of Scotland

13.

What is the meaning of "fair is foul, foul is fair?"

a)

It means that appearances can be deceiving.

b)

It means that people are either good or evil.

c)

It means that the witches are up to no good.

d)

It means that Duncan will be murdered.

14.

Who said the following lines: "And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / the instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray's / In deepest consequence."

a)

First Witch

b)

Macbeth

c)

Banquo

d)

Ross

15.

Who said the following lines: "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty Make thick my blood."

a)

Macbeth

b)

Ross

c)

Lady Macbeth

d)

Angus

16.

"The Thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict, / Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapped in proof, / Confronted him with self comparisons, / Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm, / Curbing his lavish spirit." In this quote, Macbeth is referred to as the "bridegroom of Bellona," which is a Roman goddess of war. Which literary term describes this reference?

a)

Hyperbole

b)

Allusion

c)

Motif

d)

Personification

17.

“Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, / And fixed his head upon our battlements.” Who is the “he” referring to in these lines? (Act I, Scene II)

a)

Banquo

b)

Captain/Sergeant

c)

King Duncan

d)

Macbeth

18.

"Like Valor's minion, carved out his passage" What literary device is this an example of?

a)

Simile

b)

Metaphor

c)

Personification

d)

Irony

19.

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair" What literary device is this an example of?

a)

Simile

b)

Personification

c)

Metaphor

d)

Symbolism

20.

"This castle hath a pleasant seat. The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / Unto our gentle senses." What literary device is this an example of?

a)

Dramatic irony

b)

Situational irony

c)

Symbolism

d)

Allusion

21.

"So well thy words become thee as thy wounds; / They smack of honor both." What literary devices are these lines an example of?

a)

Irony

b)

Allusion

c)

Symbolism

d)

Personification

22.

When was Shakespeare born?

a)

July 4th, 1789

b)

April 1564 (Exact date unknown)

c)

February 28th, 1600

d)

No records of his birth

23.

What were “The Lost Years?”

a)

A period of great turmoil in Shakespeare’s time.

b)

A period of time during which Shakespeare wrote all of his plays.

c)

A period of time where historians cannot trace Shakespeare’s actions or whereabouts.

d)

A period of time during which Shakespeare lost all of his family members.

24.

Fill in the blanks: The changes in __________, __________, and  ________ during Shakespeare’s time influenced his writing.

a)

Economics, politics, religion

b)

Family values, ethics, science

c)

Religion, science, philosophy

d)

Banking, trade, philosophy

25.

Why does Shakespeare include elements of the supernatural in Macbeth?

a)

King James believed in witchcraft and ghosts.

b)

The presence of the supernatural is an element of a Shakespearean drama.

c)

Shakespeare was a witch hunter when he wasn’t writing plays.

d)

King James believed in witchcraft and ghosts AND they are elements of Shakespearean drama

26.

Macbeth includes plotlines and characters from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, thus many of the characters were real people.

a)

True

b)

False

27.

Which of the following is NOT a theme of Macbeth?

a)

Appearances can be deceiving.

b)

Unchecked ambition can corrupt even the best people.

c)

Loyalty means that a subject will never betray their king.

d)

Traditionally, masculinity is associated with cruelty and violence.

28.

What country do Banquo and Macbeth defeat in battle?

a)

France

b)

Ireland

c)

Norway

d)

Denmark

29.

What happened to the previous Thane of Cawdor before Macbeth took the title?

a)

He was sentenced to death for being a traitor.

b)

He was captured by the enemy.

c)

He died in battle.

d)

He fled Scotland.

30.

What is the main prophecy that the witches give Banquo?

a)

He will become king.

b)

He will not be king, but his sons will be kings.

c)

Macbeth will murder him.

d)

He will live a long and prosperous life.

31.

King Duncan names this person the Prince of Cumberland, heir to the Scottish throne.

a)

Mace

b)

Banquo

c)

Ross

d)

Malcolm

32.

“So well thy words become thee as thy wounds:/ They smack of honour both.” In the context of King Duncan talking to his Captain after Scotland has just won the war, what does blood symbolize in this passage?

a)

Blood represents death and loss.

b)

Blood represents chaos and anarchy.

c)

Blood represents courage and honor.

d)

Blood represents traitors in the army.

33.

Banquo warns Macbeth: “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequence.” What do these lines foreshadow?

a)

These lines foreshadow that Macbeth and Banquo will get everything the witches promise without consequences.

b)

These lines foreshadow that Banquo will actually end up becoming king.

c)

These lines foreshadow that Macbeth will have to kill Banquo in a competition for the throne.

d)

These lines foreshadow that the witches have told somewhat of the truth, however, Macbeth and/or Banquo may have to face the consequences of knowing the truth later.

34.

Who are the main influences in Macbeth’s life that cause him to have evil, cruel thoughts of murdering Duncan?

a)

The witches and their predictions

b)

Lady Macbeth

c)

Ross and Angus

d)

Lady Macbeth AND the witches and their predictions

35.

What does Lady Macbeth accuse Macbeth of when she talks to him about his hesitancy to murder Duncan?

a)

Him not being a man.

b)

Him being a coward.

c)

Him not loving her.

d)

All of the above.

36.

Duncan says: “This castle hath a pleasant seat. The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / Unto our gentle senses.” What literary device is used in this quote?

a)

Foreshadowing

b)

Flashback

c)

Dramatic irony

d)

Simile

37.

 What is “fair” and “foul” about Duncan saying that the castle is pleasant and welcoming?

a)

The castle is foul and offensive to him, but Lady Macbeth is a fair hostess.

b)

The castle is fair to him, but the murder that Lady Macbeth planned is foul.

c)

The castle is fair and foul because he does not like Macbeth, but he likes Lady Macbeth.

d)

The castle is neither fair nor foul because he does not care about where he stays overnight.

38.

How does the quote below reflect society’s view on gender during this time period?

“Come you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty.”

a)

Only women could be witches to call upon the evil spirits for assistance in achieving their goals.

b)

Women were seen as incapable of anything aggressive or disturbing, therefore, Lady Macbeth asked the spirits to make her more masculine.

c)

Men were considered to be honorable and weak, therefore Lady Macbeth calls on the evil spirits to help her convince him to kill the king.

d)

She believes that the king is evil and needs to be murdered so she asks the evil spirits to help her achieve the goal of getting rid of the unjust King Duncan.

39.

At the end of Act I, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth, “...to look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.” What literary device is being used?

a)

Simile

b)

Metaphor

c)

Dramatic irony

d)

Soliloquy

40.

"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" What literary device is this line an example of?

a)

Allusion

b)

Motif

c)

Metaphor

d)

Symbolism