Test-Yourself Reading Quiz on Hamlet (Acts I & II)

Click on the correct answer



1 Of whom does Hamlet say, "Frailty, thy name is woman"?
Ophelia
Gertrude
Rosencrantz
Guildenstern
Reynaldo
2 What does the Ghost of King Hamlet tell Hamlet during their conversation? (two answers)
That Polonius has killed him by pouring poison in his ear.
That Hamlet should avenge his death by attacking Gertrude's part in it.
That Claudius has killed him by pouring poison in his ear.
That Hamlet should not direct his revenge toward his mother but instead "leave her to heaven."
That Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted friend.
3 What do Polonius and Laertes warn Ophelia about in Act I?
That Gertrude is jealous of her beauty and will try to have her removed from court.
That she should be careful to preserve her virtue in her dealings with Hamlet and should not believe all that he tells her.
That Claudius has had King Hamlet poisoned.
That she might see the Ghost if she walks upon the battlements at night.
That she is soon to be sent to Paris to marry Reynaldo.
4 What does Polonius want Reynaldo to do in Paris?
To put forth false rumors about Laertes so that he (Reynaldo) can determine what Laertes is actually doing there.
To put forth false rumors so as to find the killer of King Hamlet.
To prepare for his marriage to Ophelia.
To find the cause of Hamlet's sudden madness.
To bring Rosencrantz and Guildenstern back to Claudius's court.
5 Which statements about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are true?
They have been summoned to court by Claudius and Gertrude so that they may spy on Hamlet and discover the cause of his madness.
Polonius has asked them to come to court so that they may protect Ophelia.
They bring the actors with them.
They try to lie to Hamlet about the purpose of their visit, insisting at first that they've simply come to see him.
Instructed by Polonius, they refuse to believe in Hamlet's madness.
6 Who says of himself, "But I am pigeon livered, and lack gall /To make oppression bitter, or ere this/I should ha' fatted all the region kites / With this slave's offal"?
Claudius, speaking of his wish to kill Hamlet
Laertes, speaking of his desire to avenge his father's death
Horatio, speaking of his failure to rescue Hamlet
Fortinbras, as reported by Valtemand
Hamlet, speaking of his failure to move against Claudius.
7 How does Ophelia come to believe that Hamlet is mad?
He enters her room as she is sewing; his clothes are dishevelled, and his look is piteous.
She knows that refusing to marry Hamlet will make him go insane.
Polonius reads a letter to Claudius and Gertrude, and Ophelia overhears it.
Horatio tells her.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell her.
8 What is the nature of the players' speeches in Act II?
They put on a dumb show of pouring poison in the King's ear.
They tell of Priam's queen, who, when Priam is struck down by Pyrrhus, cries out in agony at her loss.
The Player Queen protests her love for the Player King.
The players discuss at length their willingness to do Hamlet's bidding.
9 What's the meaning of Hamlet's words "The play's the thing/ Wherein I'll catch the conscience of a king"?
He wants to find out whether Claudius is keeping him away from Ophelia.
He want to find out whether Claudius killed King Hamlet.
He wants to know whether Claudius seduced Gertrude before King Hamlet's death.
None of the above.
All of the above.
10 What is "The Murder of Gonzago"?
The play that Hamlet asks the players to perform.
The rule book that Hamlet cites to make the players be less wordy and false in their acting.
The secret words that Hamlet tells Ophelia so that she will know his madness is feigned and not real.
The book that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bring to Denmark to cheer Hamlet up in his madness.