1. |
1. During what period did William Shakespeare live and work?
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a) the Age of Enlightenment
b) the Elizabethan Era
c) the Romantic Era
d) the Italian Renaissance
The Elizabethan era gets its name from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
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2. |
Where was Shakespeare born?
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a) Stratford-on-Avon
b) London-on-Thames
c) Once-upon-a-Thames
d) Hamm-on-Wye
Stratford, a village NE of London, was also the site of Shakespeare's death 52 years later.
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3. |
What was the name of the theatrical company of which Shakespeare was a member?
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a) The Kings Men
b) The Queens Men
c) The Chessmen
d) The Man's Men
The Kings Men were named after King James I; before that, the company was known as The Lord Chamberlains Men.
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4. |
Which of the following was an attribute of the Globe Theater?
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a) three-story, open-air construction
b) extended stage with trapdoor
c) shaped like an O
d) all of the above
The Globe Theater, located on the south bank of the Thames River, was an O-shaped three story theater containing an extended stage with a trapdoor.
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5. |
Which of the following was not an attribute of the Elizabethan stage?
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a) performed in front of groundlings
b) huge special effects
c) no female actors
d) no intermissions between acts
The Elizabethan stage was quite different than the modern stage: no intermissions, no female actors.
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6. |
Shakespeare was involved with the Globe Theater as:
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a) an actor
b) a playwright
c) a shareholder
d) all of the above
Shakespeare wasnt just the worlds greatest dramatist, he was also a thespian and a businessman.
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7. |
Shakespeare wrote all of the following except:
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a) plays
b) sonnets
c) novels
d) book-length poems
Shakespeare is credited with writing more than thirty plays, 150 sonnets, two long poems, and no novels.
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8. |
Which of the following describes the syllable structure of an iamb?
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a) stressed, stressed
b) unstressed, stressed
c) stressed, unstressed
d) freaked out, chilled
An iamb closely follows the natural, up-down movement of spoken language.
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9. |
Shakespeare often wrote in blank verse because it:
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a) is much cheaper then full verse
b) closely resembles the natural rhythms of speech
c) was mandated by the King
d) is a favorite of the ladies
Shakespeare wrote in blank verse because it closely resembles the natural rhythms of speech.
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10. |
How many iambs does a line of perfect iambic pentameter contain?
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a) one complete iamb
b) five
c) ten
d) varies according to meter
Pentameter basically means five meters. The meter in this instance is iambic.
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11. |
In terms of symbolic art, which of the following is a universal?
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a) villain
b) protagonist
c) femme fatale
d) justice
The others are all particulars: the villain might represent evil, the protagonist good, and the femme fatale, betrayal.
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12. |
Who wrote the Greek play Oedipus Rex
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a) Sophocles
b) Aristotle
c) Jocasta
d) Francis Bacon
Oedipus Rex was first performed in the fifth century B.C., about two thousand years before Shakespeare's time.
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13. |
Greek philosopher Aristotle described drama, including tragedy, as:
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a) a terrible beauty
b) a terrible waste of time
c) a muse of fire
d) an imitation of an action
In The Poetics, Aristotle defined his many thoughts on drama.
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14. |
Tragic figures:
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a) are noble figures
b) suffer a reversal of fortune
c) recognize the consequences of their actions
d) all of the above
Tragic figures, particularly according to Aristotle, are noble figures who suffer a reversal of fortune, and recognize the consequences of their actions.
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