View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Hamlet say when he first hears about the ghost?
(a) He wants it to leave him alone.
(b) He does not believe it exists.
(c) He thinks Horatio is inventing it to distract him.
(d) He wants to talk to it.

2. After hearing Ophelia's description of Hamlet, what reason does Polonius suggest for Hamlet's strange behavior?
(a) Hamlet is taking his father's death too hard.
(b) Hamlet is mad with love for Ophelia.
(c) Hamlet has studied too hard at school.
(d) Hamlet has always been a strange boy and his father's death has driven him insane.

3. During their first conversation, what does the ghost tell Hamlet about his mother?
(a) She is a good woman.
(b) What happened is her fault.
(c) Protect her from the murderer.
(d) Do not blame her for what happened.

4. When Hamlet and his friends first see the ghost, what do Hamlet's friends tell him to do?
(a) Do not go with the ghost.
(b) Go with the ghost.
(c) Tell the king about the ghost.
(d) Send for a priest.

5. In Act 2, Scene 1, how does Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior?
(a) He yelled at her but would not look at her.
(b) He stared at her, then started to yell at her.
(c) He stared at her but did not speak.
(d) He would not look at her and would not speak to her.

6. When Hamlet first sees the ghost, what does he call it?
(a) Angel and minister of grace.
(b) Devil, demon, bane of Heaven.
(c) King, father, royal Dane.
(d) Fearsome creature.

7. What is Hamlet's mother's name?
(a) Gertrude.
(b) Hecuba.
(c) Ophelia.
(d) Fortinbras.

8. Who does the ghost in Act 1, Scene 1 look like?
(a) The prince, Hamlet.
(b) The king who just died.
(c) The king's advisor, Polonius.
(d) The Queen.

9. When the play shows a king being poisoned, how does the current king, Claudius, react?
(a) He is angry and asks Hamlet if he is making an accusation.
(b) He is bored and does not seem to care.
(c) He is upset and leaves before the play ends.
(d) He is uneasy and makes a joke about it.

10. During "The Mousetrap," Gertrude says, "The lady protests too much, methinks." What is she talking about?
(a) The Player Queen swearing her loyalty to her second husband.
(b) Ophelia swearing her loyalty to Hamlet.
(c) The Player Queen swearing her loyalty to her first husband.
(d) Gertrude is speaking about her own claims of love for Claudius.

11. When the ghost first speaks to Hamlet, how does it describe its experience?
(a) It walks at night and is tortured by day.
(b) It walks at night and is frozen in a block of ice during the day.
(c) It walks all the time, hoping someone will set it free.
(d) It is tortured and burned in a fire all the time.

12. After his first meeting with the ghost, what does Hamlet ask his friends to do?
(a) Help him break the news to his mother.
(b) Tell the world about the last king's death.
(c) Help him avenge the murder.
(d) Keep his secret.

13. In Act 2, Scene 1, why is Ophelia frightened?
(a) She saw a fight between Claudius and Hamlet.
(b) She saw Hamlet slap Gertrude in the face.
(c) She had an unpleasant encounter with Hamlet.
(d) She saw the ghost talking to Hamlet.

14. What country did the late King go to battle against?
(a) Norway.
(b) England.
(c) Denmark.
(d) France.

15. Who is Horatio?
(a) Hamlet's friend.
(b) Hamlet's brother.
(c) The prince of Denmark.
(d) Ophelia's brother.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Act 2, Scene 1, what does Ophelia say about Hamlet's clothes?

2. In their first conversation together, what important information does Hamlet reveal to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

3. What is the public explanation of the last king's death?

4. Why does Hamlet talk to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about a recorder?

5. The tone of the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia in Act 3, Scene 1 changes abruptly when Ophelia does what?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 756 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample