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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did Will live near the end of his life?
(a) Stratford
(b) Lancashire
(c) London
(d) Birmingham

2. What happened to the members of the important group of playwrights in London during Will’s day?
(a) They all joined the Church
(b) They all left the country
(c) They all died
(d) They all conspired to assassinate Will in the method of Julius Caesar

3. What was the main purpose for Will writing Venus and Adonis?
(a) To gain favor
(b) To make a political statement
(c) To get out of jail
(d) To make a religious statement

4. What did Will publish in rebuttal of Robert Greene’s written attacks?
(a) A public announcement
(b) A play
(c) A letter
(d) Nothing

5. What was another significant innovation in Hamlet that refers to the development of the play’s characters?
(a) Removal of character descriptions
(b) Removal of all women
(c) Removal of consequences
(d) Removal of motivation for actions

6. Which of Will’s children died?
(a) Judith
(b) Anne
(c) Hamnet
(d) Susanna

7. What phrase best describes the Earl of Southampton?
(a) Focused on traveling
(b) Self-indulgent
(c) In poor health
(d) Religious

8. What was the name of Christopher Marlowe’s play that was about a Jew?
(a) As You Like It
(b) Tamburlaine the Great
(c) Come Alongside Me
(d) The Jew of Malta

9. In what year did Will die?
(a) 1610
(b) 1620
(c) 1580
(d) 1616

10. What is the name of an epic poem that Will wrote?
(a) Venus and Adonis
(b) Come to Me
(c) Othello
(d) As You Like It

11. In Chapter 8, the author states that the theaters in London were closed. Why was this the case?
(a) Because of political unrest
(b) Because of financial woes
(c) Because of church sanctions
(d) Because of the plague

12. What is the basic plot of Will’s play Richard II?
(a) A strong monarch is overthrown
(b) A feeble monarch is deposed
(c) A cowardly monarch flees the country
(d) A powerful monarch gets sick

13. What did Will buy more and more of in Stratford?
(a) Sheep
(b) Books
(c) Land
(d) Swords

14. In which play did Will NOT poke fun at the members of the prominent group of playwrights in London during his day?
(a) Twelfth Night
(b) Hamlet
(c) The Merry Wives of Windsor
(d) King Lear

15. What did Will buy for his family in Stratford during this time?
(a) A horse and carriage
(b) A large home
(c) A flock of sheep
(d) A family sword

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Chapter 8 say that Will may have developed towards the Earl of Southampton?

2. Which description does NOT fit the members of the important group of playwrights in London during Will’s day?

3. Which of Will’s children experienced marital troubles?

4. Describe Will’s relationship with the prominent group of playwrights in London during his day.

5. Which young aristocrat eventually became Will’s patron?

(see the answer keys)

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