1) Upon seeing the full title of the play (The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark) it can we inferred about Hamlet that:
C. He will die at the end of the play.
[Since “Hamlet” is a tragedy and tragedy belongs to that part of the narrative which involves deaths and loss, therefore from the title itself it can be inferred that Hamlet will die at the end.]
2) What was Shakespeare's motivation for writing Hamlet?
D. Shakespeare's twins had just been born. Since he named the boy Hamnet, he wanted to pen a play in his son's honor.
[In 1556 Shakespeare lost his only son. Later in 1601, he wrote Hamlet which also deals with the death of both the father and the son.]
3) Hamlet's hamartia or tragic flaw could include all of the following EXCEPT
C. a melancholy lovesickness which leads to temporary insanity
[Aristotle termed Hamartia to tell about the tragic flaw which the protagonist must undergo. This occurs in the hero’s life because of an error in judgment. Often this happens unknowingly. Lovesickness is not included in the terms of Hamartia.]
4) What is a soliloquy?
D. A speech was given by a character alone on the stage that reveals thoughts.
[A soliloquy is a long speech in which a character speaks one’s thoughts to the audience. When a character makes a speech when he is alone is known as a soliloquy. The plays of Shakespeare's are full of soliloquies. They tell the audience about the inner thoughts o the character. The plotting about a revenge or any murder and lamentations on one's fate are the main soliloquies. Usually, soliloquies are said by the characters when they are alone.]
5) Character foils are...
A. characters who have opposite traits.
[A foil is a character who builds a contrast to the main character and thus builds a subplot. Both the characters possess similar traits and values.]
6) The BEST example of a thematic statement for the play Hamlet is:
A. Hamlet may have begun pretending to be mad, but the lines between sanity and madness began to blur as the play developed.
7)A character foil for Hamlet is:
C. Laertes
[Hamlet and Laertes both wanted to take revenge for their fathers' death.]
8) Claudius is related to Hamlet before marrying Gertrude as:
B. He is the brother of Hamlet's father, and therefore Hamlet's uncle.
[Claudius was the brother of the King Hamlet and uncle to Prince Hamlet.]
9) In her encounters with her brother and her father, Ophelia comes across as
D. sweet, innocent, and submissive
[Throughout the play, Ophelia gets advice from his father and brother about how she should lead he life. She is in love with Hamlet but is unable to receive the same for herself. She dies in grief.]
10) The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Gertrude and Claudius.
B. False
[King Hamlet's ghost asks Prince Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing his brother Claudius but strictly prohibits him to commit any harm to Gertrude.]
11) Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to...
D. conceal his attempts to get information regarding Claudius's guilt
12) Polonius gives the reasons for Hamlet's madness that:
A. He loves Ophelia.
13) Claudius asks to keep an eye on Hamlet to:
D. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
[ Hamlet meets two of his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who have been called by Gertrude and Claudius to help Hamlet come out of his state of mental stress.]
14) Hamlet is so upset with himself in the “O, what a rogue and peasant slave,” soliloquy in Act II, scene ii, lines 559-617 as:
D. He is tormented by the question of whether or not to kill himself.
15) Claudius killed King Hamlet by pouring poison in his ear.
A. True
16) Hamlet does not kill Claudius while Claudius is praying because
C. Hamlet does not want Claudius to go to heaven
17) The characteristic of Polonius that most directly led to his death is:
C. his insincerity or shallowness
18) Gertrude is surprised to see the ghost when he appears in her chambers.
B. False
[When Hamlet kill Polonius mistakingly as he thought that it was Claudius, the ghost of King Hamlet appears. The ghost was only visible to Hamlet and not Gertrude.]
19: Laertes and Hamlet are alike in that
C. both seek revenge for their father's deaths
[Laertes and Hamlet are foil characters who opposes similar traits and characteristics in the play.]
20) The person who tells Claudius and Laertes about the circumstances surrounding Ophelia's death is:
B. Queen Gertrude
21) Hamlet knew Yorick personally.
A. True
22) Claudius and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet
D. All of the above
[Claudius and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet in a distinct manner. Firstly, Claudius will give him a drink with poison and then, Laertes will stab him in a duel with the sword which he will poison the tip of it.]
