E
JERICHO
HIGH
SCHOOL
ANSWER KEY
MRS. MCDERMOTT
& MRS. BOULER
MACBETH
Practice Test
1. ___ The witches prophesied that Banquo would be
A. thane of Dunsinane
C. conqueror of England
B. the forefather of kings
D. King of Scotland
2. ___ In response to the witches’ prophecy about him, Macbeth says
“…I know I am Thane of Glamis,
But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives
A prosperous gentleman….”
Macbeth’s speech is an example of dramatic irony because
A. the audience knows Macbeth does not really want to be king.
B. the witches have also given their prophecy to Banquo.
C. the audience knows the Thane of Cawdor has been executed by Duncan.
Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that a character onstage
does not know.
D. Banquo shows more interest in the witches’ prophecies than Macbeth does.
3. ___ Lady Macbeth says:
“…Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it.”
Knowing her husband’s character, Lady Macbeth is afraid that
A. Macbeth will not attempt to gain the throne unless he becomes stronger and
more wicked. Gender motif!
B. Macbeth will try to gain the throne without her help.
C. Macbeth’s ambition will cause his downfall before he gains the throne.
4. ___ What does Macbeth mean when he says:
“… If th’ assassination
Could trammel up the consequences and catch
With him surcease success, that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We’d jump the life to come.”
A. Macbeth refuses to risk the consequences of murdering the king in the afterlife.
B. Macbeth wants to be sure that there will be no consequences either in this life
or in the afterlife.
C. Macbeth is willing to risk the consequences in the afterlife if he does not have to
suffer significant consequences in this life.
5. ___ Just before the murder of the King, Macbeth though he saw a
A. crown
B. dagger
C. bell
D. light
E. ghost
6. ___ King Duncan’s grooms were killed by
A. Lady Macbeth
B. Macbeth
C. Macduff
D. the witches
7. ___ Malcolm and Donalbain decided to flee from Scotland because
A. they had committed a crime and wanted to escape justice
B. they feared that they too might be murdered
C. they thought Macduff suspected them of killing Duncan
D. neither one wanted to be king (the job was too dangerous)
8. ___ Macbeth says: “… There is none but he
Whose being I do fear, and under him
My genius is rebuked, as it is said
Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters
When first they put the name of king upon me.”
The “he” whom Macbeth fears is
A. Macbeth himself
B. Duncan
C. Banquo
D God
9. ___ In Act IV the witches told Macbeth all of the following except
A. beware of Macduff
B. beware of Banquo
C. scorn the power of any man born of woman
D. fear nothing until Birnam Wood should come to Dunsinane
10. ___ The character responsible for the death of Lady Macbeth is
A. Lady Macbeth (suicide)
B. Macbeth
C. her doctor
D. the witches
11. ___ Macbeth was killed by
A. himself (suicide)
D. the witches
B. Macduff
C. Malcolm
12. ___ Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth’s doctor:
“Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain,
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart?”
Macbeth is asking the doctor if he cannot
A. prevent Lady Macbeth’s death
B. cure Lady Macbeth’s mental disorder
C. kill Macduff with poison in order to relive Macbeth’s mind
D. make Macbeth forget the witches’ prophecies
13. ____ Macbeth says: “I ‘gin to be aweary of the sun,
And wish th’ estate o’ th’ world were now undone.—
Ring the alarum bell!—Blow wind, come wrack,
At least we’ll die with harness on our back.”
Macbeth is indicating that
A. he is eager for the impending battle
B. he hopes the battle will be fought on a stormy night
C. he feels despair but chooses to die fighting
D. he now prefers pulling a plow and living a simple life
Need help? Come to room 257 Thursday morning for support!