English IV Honors / Gavin / Hamlet Unit Test / 2013
Multiple Choices
1. The phrases “mirth in funeral” and “dirge in marriage” are examples of
a. paradox.
c. metaphor
b. oxymoron.
d. pun
2. Claudius calls Hamlet ‘son’ in his first public address of his former nephew and asks him how it is that the
clouds still hang on him. Hamlet’s response to Claudius, “Not so, my lord; I am too much i’ the sun” is an
example of which figure of speech?
a. parody
c. onomatopoeia
b. hyperbole
d. pun
3. Hamlet’s response to his mother’s rebuke, “Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems” introduces the
theme of
a. revenge
c. grief versus joy
b. appearance versus reality
d. madness versus sanity
4. When Hamlet responds to his mother that the clothing and facial expressions of mourning are: actions that a
man might play,” what other theme is introduced?
a. the suddenness of death
c. vengeance
b. gender
d. art and life imitate each other
5. When Claudius tells Hamlet his grief is “incorrect to heaven,” it means that
a. such grief is appropriate only for women
c. to grieve is to sin against God’s will
b. death is common, and grief is irrational
d. excessive grief is a sign of ignorance
6. Claudius’ refusal to allow Hamlet to return to Wittenberg shows his
a. affection for Hamlet.
c. love of Gertrude.
b. distrust of Hamlet.
d. fear of Fortinbras.
7. The lines, “‘tis an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed” is an example of
a. a simile.
c. an analogy.
b. a metaphor.
d. hyperbole.
8. The soliloquy in which Hamlet begins, “Oh that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself
int0 a dew,” introduces the theme and related motifs of
a. Morality and dishonesty
c. Death/Hamlet’s desire for nonexistence.
b. Corruption and disease
d. Hamlet’s disgust over physical pleasures.
9. The predominant imagery in the “To be or not to be” soliloquy suggests
a. a prince
c. a sick and overworked body
b. a soldier
d. a sleeping person
10. Hamlet’s harsh treatment of Ophelia when he commands, “Get thee to a nunnery” may be motivated by all
of the following except
a. anger towards his mother
c. distrust of Polonius
b. Ophelia’s betrayal of Hamlet
d. fear of commitment
11. Claudius’ reference to the “primal eldest curse” associated with his crime is an allusion to
a. Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden
c. The dual crimes of Oedipus on his parents
b. Cain’s murder of Abel.
d. His plot against young Hamlet
12. What, according to Claudius, is the largest impediment to his salvation?
a. His sin is unforgiveable
c. To marry a brother’s wife is incest
b. He is not truly repentant
d. He still possesses the profits of his sin
13. What it ironic about Hamlet’s decision not to kill Claudius while he is in prayer?
a. He will never have another opportunity
c. Claudius’ prayer has not absolved him of his sin
b. He does not want to send Claudius to heaven
d. Hamlet would be as guilty as Claudius
English IV Honors / Gavin / Hamlet Unit Test / 2013
14. What aspect of Gertrude’s marriage seems to bother Hamlet the most?
a. the betrayal of his dead father
c. the loss of his throne
b. the loss of his mother’s affection
d. the sexuality between Gertrude and Claudius
15. Gertrude’s lines to Hamlet in Act III, “thou has cleft my heart in twain,” mark what shift?
a. Gertrude now knows that Hamlet is not really mad.
b. Gertrude realizes her error and sides with Hamlet.
c. Hamlet no longer fears the ghost.
d. Hamlet no longer fears death and is ready to carry out his vengeance.
16. Hamlet’s reference to “Cain…that did the first murder” in the graveyard scene further emphasizes
a. the Garden of Eden
c. original sin
b. the murder of a brother
d. incestuous marriage
Kennings
a. Hamlet
ab. Laertes
b. Claudius
ac. Horatio
c. Gertrude
ad. Ghost
d. Ophelia
ae. RosNGuild
e. Polonius
bc. Fortinbras
Match the above listed characters with the kennings below. Each character is used once or more.
17. Powerless ‘Princess’
18. Impetuous mourner
19. Wrong “rat”
20. Limbo loiterer
21. Incarcerated ‘Insanity’
22. Power Papa
23. Chatty daddy
24. Goblet Grabber
25. Fencing Foul-up
26. Liquid Lungs
27. Reaction Reader
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
Motivated Marcher
Articulate Avenger
Simple Spiers
Fraternal Foe
Advice Dispenser
Translucent Talker
“Good night” Giver
Disloyal Duo
Mousetrap Hater
Outraged Orphan
Warning Ignorer
Quotations True/False
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
“Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off” means that Gertrude wants Hamlet to stop grieving.
“Frailty, thy name is woman!” supports the theme of Sex in the play.
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” supports the theme of corruption in the play
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in't indicates that Claudius knows Hamlet is faking insanity.
“Denmark’s a prison” are the words the ghost uses to describe his walk through purgatory.
“What a piece of work is a man!” is part of a speech in which Hamlet demonstrates his misanthropy.
“Give me some light, Away!”are the lines most closely tied to the turning point of the tragedy.
“I will speak daggers to her, but use none” foreshadows the death of Polonious.
“Oh, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven” is Claudius’ first admission of guilt to the audience.
“My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!” marks Fortinbras’ shift towards vengeance.
“When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions”is Claudius’ response to the death of Polonious
“The King, the King’s to blame” are the words of Laertes to Fortinbras in the final scene.