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Shakespeare Review Test

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The poetic structure Shakespeare follows to write dialogue in his plays is called

(a)  

2.

Which of the following genres of plays did Shakespeare NOT write?

a)

history

b)

melodrama

c)

comedy

d)

tragedy

3.

How many syllables are there in a line of regular iambic pentameter?

(a)  

4.

Choose all of the following choices that accurately describe the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy:

a)

usually ends with a wedding

b)

the protagonist loses

c)

often many people die

d)

everything gets sorted out correctly in the end

e)

serious tone

5.

The genre of Shakespearean play that dramatized real events from English royal history is called:

(a)  

6.

Which of the following words were ways to say "you" in Shakespeare's plays?

a)

thou

b)

you

c)

'tis

d)

thee

7.

What's the rule of thumb about how to understand verbs?

a)

reorder the words so they make sense

b)

see if it's the possessive form

c)

look for the missing letters

d)

drop the fancy ending

8.

The sound of the rhythm of emphasis of iambic pentameter sounds like what bodily sound?

(a)  

9.

A play in which the main character is in love and finds themselves in a lighthearted mixup is a plotline from which genre of Shakespearean play?

a)

tragedy

b)

comedy

c)

history

d)

melodrama

10.

When a character is speaking in regular iambic pentameter, what does that mean for the actor?

a)

that the actor should say their lines quickly after the person before them

b)

that the character might be lying

c)

the character genuinely means what they are saying

d)

that the actor should create an action there

11.

Shakespeare might create an unexpected grammatical order of words in a line, making it sound to us like it's inverted, very much like what famous character from the movies?

(a)  

12.

Shakespeare used a lot of contractions and omissions because he was:

a)

trying to make them fit the rules of the poetic structure

b)

trying to shorten the length of his plays for the audience

c)

trying to rhyme the lines

d)

trying to create as many new words as possible to grow the English language

13.

When you see an apostrophe in a Shakespearean word, the apostrophe represents

a)

the word "you"

b)

that he is using iambic pentameter

c)

where the idea ends

d)

where letters have been removed

14.

The name of the type of poem that Shakespeare "perfected" and that inspired his dialogue structure in his plays is called the

(a)  

15.

Much Ado About Nothing, the play we learned about that is about gender roles, marriage expectations, and tricking people to fall in love is an example of a Shakespearean

a)

comedy

b)

history

c)

tragedy

d)

sonnet

16.

When you run across an unfamiliar word in Shakespeare, which of the following strategies are going to be helpful to determine the meaning of the word? (choose all that are correct)

a)

look up the word in a dictionary

b)

change the iambic pentameter

c)

look to see if there's footnotes in the text for it

d)

use context clues

e)

replace the word with its opposite and see if that is clear; then flip it back to the opposite of that for the meaning

17.

How many syllables are there in Romeo's last name: Montague?

(a)  

18.

When the iambic pentameter is "off" in a line, it often means

a)

the character is happy and relaxed

b)

the actor is supposed to speak slowly and quietly

c)

Shakespeare meant to use a contraction there but it got lost in later versions of his plays

d)

the character's mental or emotional state is "off" as well

19.

What is the best translation for this line?

"If you love the maid, bend thoughts and wits to achieve her."

a)

If you love girls, go out and get one.

b)

If you have a girlfriend, do your best to treat her with respect and love.

c)

If you like your house clean, do whatever you can to get the cleanest house possible.

d)

If you love the young lady, think about how to strategize a plan to win her over.

20.

What is the best translation for this line?

"By medicine life may be prolonged, yet death will seize the doctor too."

a)

If you take medicine from a doctor, you are only poisoning yourself. Fate will kill the doctor for his bad ways.

b)

Good things in life will eventually wither and die away.

c)

One might live longer by taking the doctor's medicine, but eventually everyone's going to die.

d)

Life is too short, so take your medicine and fight back against death.