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Multiple Choice
1. What does the love potion’s effect best symbolize?
A) The triumph of chaos over order
B) The volatile nature of love
C) Oberon’s meddling nature
D) The power of Puck
2. What is Hermia’s father’s name?
A) Demetrius
B) Lysander
C) Theseus
D) Egeus
3. Who is Demetrius in love with at the beginning of the play?
A) Titania
B) Helena
C) Hermia
D) Bottom
4. Why does Helena tell Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander’s plan?
A) To win his affection
B) Because she is jealous of Hermia
C) Because she wants him to kill Lysander
D) To create chaos
5. Which describes Nick Bottom best?
A) He is humble about his skills, but he is an incredible actor.
B) He is conceited about his apparent talent and is actually very unskilled.
C) He knows that he is a poor actor, but he is forced to act by his friends.
D) He hopes that participating in the play will help him improve his mediocre acting skills.
6. Puck is instructed to place the love potion on the eyes of an Athenian male. Who does Oberon intend him to anoint; who does he actually anoint?
A) Lysander; Demetrius
B) Oberon; Egeus
C) Demetrius; Lysander
D) Egeus; Theseus
7. Who does Theseus marry?
A) Hippolyta
B) Hermia
C) Helena
D) Titania
8. What does the forest epitomize; what does Athens epitomize?
A) Order; chaos
B) Chaos; order
C) Love; lust
D) Lust; love
9. How does the laborer’s play, “The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe,” mirror aspects of the frame narrative: A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
A) A potential tragedy is turned into a farcical comedy.
B) Fairies interfere in human lives, causing chaos and confusion.
C) Vengeful individuals try to kill each other.
D) A mischievous fairy erroneously anoints the wrong person with love potion.
10. Why is Snug’s assurance that he is not actually a lion humorous?
A) He misspeaks in a comedic way.
B) His manner is awkward and tripping.
C) He is self-evidently not a lion; the general performance is unbelievable given the poor acting.
D) He is dressed as a lion.
11. Why is Helena displeased when Demetrius, with whom Helena is desperately in love, declares his love for her in 3.2?
A) She believes that he and Lysander are mocking her.
B) She does not want to betray her friend Hermia, who is engaged to Demetrius.
C) She has realized that she loves Lysander instead.
D) She understands that he has been hoodwinked with a love potion.
12. Which of the following best describes Oberon and Titania’s relationship?
A) Communicative and mature
B) Passionate and vengeful
C) Indifferent and stale
D) Loving and measured
13. To which important and recurring theme does Puck’s closing monologue connect most closely?
A) The Balance of Chaos and Order
B) The Complexity of Love
C) The Blurring of Dreams and Reality
D) The Laborer’s Play
14. What reason best summarizes Oberon’s motivations for causing Titania to fall in love with Bottom?
A) He is angry at her and wishes to humiliate her.
B) He wishes to put her in a position where she will acquiesce to his request for the Indian Prince.
C) He wishes to distract her while he takes the Indian Prince.
D) He enjoys creating chaos and confusion through magic.
15. Why does Theseus choose to see the Laborer’s play despite Philostrate’s warnings that it is terrible?
A) He believes that if it is well intentioned, it will be enjoyable, even if the acting is mediocre.
B) He believes that it will be hilarious to watch mere laborers act at a Duke’s wedding.
C) He prioritizes being perceived as a kind and accepting Duke to the citizens of Athens.
D) He believes that his wife, Hippolyta, will enjoy the play.
Long Answer
Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.
1. Titania tells Oberon that, “The spring, the summer, / The childing autumn, angry winter, change / Their wonted liveries, and the mazèd world / By their increase now knows not which is which.” (2.1.114-117) What is she describing and what is the cause?
2. Demetrius, who had previously hated Helena, tells her “O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!” (3.2.140) What does the love potion symbolize in terms of the nature of love?
3. Shakespeare often creates encounters between high and low society to comedic effect, sometimes briefly inverting the power structure before returning it to a stronger resolution. Give an example of this intersection between the highest and lowest of society, and subsequently how a power structure is flipped and restored.
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