Name:_______________________ Date:_________________ Period:________
Macbeth Test
True-False. Mark “A” if the answer is true, “B” if it is false.
1. The witches tell Banquo he will be murdered by Macbeth.
FALSE
2. A paradox is the agreement of two ideas that hold some truth.
FALSE
3. Banquo was killed, but his son Fleance escaped.
TRUE
4. Malcolm was untimely ripped from his mother’s womb.
FALSE
5. According to the witches’ predictions, Banquo will some day be king.
FALSE
6. There is a bloody child in Birnam Wood.
FALSE
7. Macduff puts Macbeth’s head on a pole.
TRUE
8. Duncan thought Inverness was a peaceful and beautiful locale.
TRUE
9. Lady Macbeth had an affair with Banquo, so Macbeth wanted him dead.
FALSE
10. Macdonwald will return to rule Scotland.
FALSE
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer.
11. Who kills Macbeth?
A. Macduff
B. Banquo
C. Lady Macbeth C. Malcolm
12. Whom does Lady Macbeth frame for the murder of Duncan?
A. Malcolm and Donalbain
B. The Porter
C. Duncan’s drunken guards D. Macbeth
13. Who kills Banquo?
A. Macduff
B. Fleance
C. Macbeth
D. Hired murderers
14. Which of the following best describes Lady Macbeth’s death?
a. She dies offstage
b. She sleepwalks off the palace wall
c. She declares her own guilt and stabs herself with a knife
d. Macduff slays her in revenge for his own wife’s murder
15. Who discover’s Duncan’s body?
A. Lennox
B. Ross
C. Macduff
D. Donalbain
16. Whom does Macbeth see sitting in his chair during the banquet?
A. Macdonwald’s ghost B. Banquo’s ghost
C. Duncan’s ghost
D. A witch
17. What vision does Macbeth have before he kills Duncan?
a. He sees a bloody child
b. He sees a crowned child with a tree in his hand
c. He sees a floating dagger
d. He sees an armed head
18. With whom are the Scots at war with at the beginning of the play?
A. Norway
B. Denmark
C. Poland
D. England
19. Which nation’s army invades Scotland at the end of the play?
A. Norway
B. Denmark
C. Poland
D. England
20. What happens to Lady Macbeth before she dies?
a. She is plagued by fits of sleepwalking
b. She is haunted by the ghost of Duncan
c. She sees her children killed in battle
d. She sees her children killed by Macbeth
21. Macbeth kills or arranges to have killed all of the following except
A. Duncan
B. Lady Macduff
C. Young Siward D. Old Siward
22. Lady Macbeth may be best described as
A. ambitious
B. loving
C. brave
D. compunctious
23. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill the king by telling him that ____.
A. Duncan is old and hateful
B. Duncan will attack Macbeth
C. Macbeth has legal claim to the throne
D. Macbeth is not a man if he fears to commit the murder
24. As she reads her husband’s letter, Lady Macbeth is_______.
a. worried because her husband is ill
b. fearful because her husband has talked to witches
c. upset because the king is coming to visit
d. determined to convince Macbeth to murder the king
25. King Duncan disturbs Macbeth by announcing that_________.
a. Malcolm will be the future king of Scotland
b. He will visit Macbeth at his castle
c. He will make Banquo a prince
d. He wants to continue the war
26. The witches predict that__________.
a. Macbeth will remarry soon
b. Banquo will be king
c. Macbeth will be king
d. Macbeth will have many sons
27. Dramatic irony is often used in the play. Which is one such example?
a. The warm welcome of Lady Macbeth to King Duncan, when her
true feelings are to have him killed that very night.
b. When Macduff became angry with Macbeth when he realized his
wife and child had been murdered
c. When the ghost of Banquo appeared at the banquet
d. The withces’ three prophesies to Macbeth
28. Malcolm tries to trick Macduff into believing he is a bad king because
a. He really doesn’t want to be king
b. He wants to see if Macduff was sent by Macbeth
c. He is happy living in England and doesn’t want to leave
d. He is afraid to return to England
29. Which of the following prophecies did Macbeth actually see? (1) a bloody
baby, (2) a line of kings who were descendants of Banquo, (3) King
Duncan’s body, (4) Fleance escaping from Macbeth’s assassins
a. (1) and (2)
B. (2) and (3)
C. (1), (2), and (3)
D. none of these
30. What is Banquo’s reaction to the prophesies?
a. skeptical
B. hopeful
C. argumentative
D. compunctious
31. Why is Macduff able to kill Macbeth despite the witches’ prophecy?
a. He kills the witches first
b. He receives a charm from Hecate
c. He is a powerful warlock himself
d. He was born of cesarean section
32. Who flees Scotland to join Malcolm in England?
a. Donalbain
B. Ross
C. Macduff
D. Lennox
33. Who flees Scotland immediately after Duncan’s death?
a. Macbeth
B. Malcolm and Donalbain
b. Macduff
D. Ross and Lennox
34. Who jokes that he works at “hell gate”?
a. Macduff
B. Macbeth
C. The Porter
D. The Murderer
35. Banquo may be best described as
a. ambitious
B. ruthless
C. friendly
D. loyal
36. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is
a. Fear
C. Wickedness
B. Doubt
D. Ambition
37. Lady Macbeth probably feints because
a. She always likes to be the center of attention
b. She is ill
c. She is in great fear of being accused
d. She needs to draw attention away from Macbeth since he is
talking too much
38. How did Macbeth convince the murderers to kill Banquo?
a. He bribed them
b. He would have them killed if they didn’t
c. He told them Banquo was their enemy
d. He said he would have them sent to prison
39. In what country did most of the action of the play take place?
a. France
B. Ireland
C. England
D. Scotland
40. After finding that his son was killed while fighting back, Old Siward feels
a. disgusted
B. proud
C. humiliated
D. angry
41. What title is Macbeth given after his title described in Act I?
a. Thane of Cawdor
B. Thane of Fife
C. Thane of Glamis
D. Thane of Scone
42. How does Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane?
a. By magic
b. Through an earthquake
c. It doesn’t
d. Soldiers use branches to conceal themselves
43. What reason does Lady Macbeth for not having killed Duncan herself?
a. The guards were not asleep yet
b. She lacked the courage
c. The king looked like her father
d. Killing is man’s work
44. Which of the following character traits best apply to Macduff?
a. Treachery and greed
b. Complacency and languor
c. Bravery and impetuosity
d. Loyalty and courage
45. Malcolm and Donalbain leave Macbeth’s castle because they
a. Plan to raise an army
b. Wish to consult the three witches
c. Fear for their lives
d. Committed the murder
46. What do blood and water have in common in the play?
a. Blood and water play no part in the play
b. Blood and water symbolize murder
c. Water is a cleansing agent for blood
d. Water and blood combine to form symbols of evil
47. In a sense, the witches were the cause of Macbeth’s downfall by
a. Casting a wicked spell on him
b. Causing him to believe what they had told him, even though it
wasn’t as it seemed
c. Giving Macduff greater skill in swordsmanship
d. Allowing Fleance to escape
48. What are the conditions of life in Scotland during Macbeth’s short reign?
a. The country is demoralized
b. The economic state of the country is healthy
c. The country is fighting a terrible war with England
d. Scotland is a peaceful, non-violent country
49. Macbeth fears Banquo because
a. Banquo has vowed to kill Macbeth
b. The witches prophesied that Banquo’s children would inherit
Macbeth’s crown
c. Lady Macbeth has repeatedly warned him about Banquo
d. He knows Banquo desires the kingship for himself
50. As Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, she acts as if she
a. Is washing her hands
b. Is stabbing a victim
c. Is a little child again
d. Is asking the witches for help