Brian Baldowski
1.1

[editor’s note: only in the Norton is the character’s name given as Brabanzio — in all the other major Shakespeare editions, multi-volume as well as single-volume, the character’s name is given as Brabantio]

1. Iago is (a) arrogant (b) self-indulgent (c) loyal (d) a & b (e) none of the above

2. Around line 6, Roderigo says, "Thou told'st. thy hate." In this line to whom does "him" refer to? (a) Othello (b) Michael Cassio (c) Brabanzio (d) Desdemona (e) A Clown

3. Iago likes Othello because (a) he is a good lieutenant (b) he's married to Desdemona (c) Roderigo is friends with him (d) all of the above (e) Iago does not like Othello

4. Iago tells Brabanzio around lines 116-117, "I am. Two backs" meaning (a) his daughter and the Moor are married (b) his daughter and the Moor are simply alone together (c) his daughter and the Moor are courting (d) his daughter and the Moor are having sexual relations (e) none of the above

5. In the previous question, "the Moor" refers to (a) Othello (b) Iago (c) Michael Cassio (d) The Duke of Venice (d) Othello's servant

6. Brabanzio tells Roderigo in his speech (lines 96-103) "The worser. my quiet" (a) you are disturbing me (b) stay away from Desdemona (c) we already had this conversation before (d) all of the above (e) none of the above

7. Brabanzio believes that his daughter has been stolen by (a) an evil spirit (b) Roderigo (c) Iago (d) God (e) charms
 

Thomas Burton

1.3 fh

15. Act I scene 3 takes place mostly in what form? (a) blank verse (b) rhymed couplets (c) prose (d) concrete poem

16. In reference to the previous question, this form would be appropriate because the scene is dealing with: (a) romantic concepts (b) matters of state (c) uneducated characters (d) highway construction

17. What physical props would be necessary for the beginning of the scene? (a) swords (b) money (c) sailor hats (d) letters

18. When the Duke says in line 33 "Nay, in all confidence, he's not for Rhodes" he is stating that he believes the Turks will attack Cyprus not Rhodes. This is because: (a) Rhodes is better equipped to repel an invasion (b) there is nothing of value in Rhodes (c) Rhodes is not a port city (d) he is just saying something to have an opinion

19. Line 75 has all of the Senators and the Duke saying "We are very sorry for't". The reason for all of them to say this in unison could be: (a) they generally agree on everything (b) they all realize that they need Othello for the upcoming battle (c) they can't think of anything else to say (d) they don't believe Brabantio's claim of witchcraft

20. Lines 137-139 "Of moving accidents?insolent foe" use what literary device? (a) anaphora (b) simile (c) personification (d) chiasmus

21. In the previous question this literary device could be employed in order to: (a) give a poetic quality to Othello's speech (b) show the multitude of adventures that Othello has had (c) reinforce Othello's claim that he is a poor speaker (d) convince the audience that he is a lady-killer
 
 

Laura Carr
Act 1, Scene 3 (Second Half), Bevington edition

22. From line 202 (“When remedies are past,…”) through line 205 (“…piercéd through the ear.”) the dialogue is written in (a) blank verse (b) rhymed couplets (c) sonnet form (d) prose

23. In reference to the passage mentioned above, why would Shakespeare write these lines in this form? (a) he felt like it (b) he wanted to confuse the audience (c) he wanted to emphasize the seriousness of the situation (d) he wanted to imply the senators were snobs

24. Beginning with “The tyrant custom…” in line 232, Othello’s speech contains the statement (line 238) “Most humbly therefore bending to your state,…”. What physical action would the actor portraying Othello have performed at this point? (a) stood on his head (b) walked backwards (c) sat on a stool (d) bowed to the Duke

25. In Brabantio’s directive to Othello (lines 295-296) beginning “Look to her, Moor…” can be seen as (a) threatening (b) joking (c) advising (d) foreshadowing

26. Shakespeare may have used the above literary device to (a) warn the audience (b) shock the audience (c) please the critics (d) annoy his wife

27. In line 297, Othello addresses Iago as “Honest Iago.” This is known as (a) situational irony (b) dramatic irony (c) comic irony (d) deficient irony

28. In the preceding question, why would the use of that particular literary convention be important? (a) reveals Othello’s innocence in trusting Iago (b) reveals Iago’s superiority to Othello (c) reveals Iago’s inferiority to Othello (d) reveals that Othello and Iago are equals
 

Sarah K. Crisp
2.1 sh & 2.3

SH of 2.1

29. Desdemona’s lines from 161 through 164 (‘Oh most lame and impotent conclusion! Do / not learn of him, Emilia, thought he be thy husband. / How say you Cassio? Is he not a most profane / and liberal counselor?’) could be considered ironic foreshadowing of which other Act/Scene? (a) 3.4 (b) 4.1 (c)4.3 (d) 5.2

30. What action takes place between Cassio and Desdemona during Iago’s aside (from lines 167 through 178 and beginning with ‘He takes her by the palm’)? (a) They share a piece of fruit (b) Cassio kisses Desdemona’s hand (c) Cassio shakes Desdemona’s hand (d) The answer cannot be determined from the text

31. Your answer in the preceding question is significant because: (a) fruit sharing between men and women always foreshadows a tragic event (b) kissing Desdemona becomes a symbolic and meaningful motif in the plays last scene (c) Desdemona is ungloved and therefore should be considered ‘loose’ for allowing a man other than her husband to touch her skin (d) there is nothing the reader can conclude to be significant from this particular aside by Iago.

32. In Iago’s last speech of 2.1 (‘That Cassio loves her?’), we learn not only his motives for orchestrating all the deception, but also one of the play’s major themes, to wit: (a) false or unfounded jealousy (b) envy of power and success (c) the perils of not sharing (d) there is a long history of interracial relationships facing unusual problems

2.3

33. In 2.3 after everyone except Iago and Cassio leave the stage (beginning from about line 253 ‘What, are you hurt, Lieutenant?’), who or what does Cassio credit with his downfall? (a) Montano (b) Iago (c) the moon (d) the wine

34. What word is repeatedly associated with Iago both by Othello and Cassio to create irony? (a) worthy (b) trusting (c) honest (d) wise

35. Toward the end of the scene Roderigo returns to tell Iago he is to ‘return again to Venice.’ Iago responds not only here, but in the last scene to his wife the same way by: (a) demanding he/she (to paraphrase) go home (b) comforting him/her (c) continuing to plan against them both (d) none of the above
 

Amanda Ebersole (using Laura's Bevington)
Othello

3.3 fh

43. When Othello uses the word "wretch" in line 3.3.98, he means: (a) it as a derogatory term showing displeasure (b) as a term of endearment to show affection (c) as term showing a station in life (d) there is no indication of what Othello means

44. In lines 3.3.99-100, Othello speaks of "chaos". What does he mean in those lines? (a) that his love is chaotic and driven solely by passion (b) that he embraces that chaos that comes with any love (c) that if anything should cause his to cease loving Desdemona, chaos would ensue (d) he is just using chaos as a creative metaphor

45. In line 3.3.202, Othello says that he would: (a) cease to love an unfaithful wife (b) love his wife unconditionally, no matter her offense (c) kill any man that shows any interest in Desdemona (d) he says that infidelity is difficult to discover

46. What does Iago do in the first half of 3.3? (a) tell Othello exactly how he feels (b) convince Othello that he loves him, and at the same time convinces Othello to doubt Cassio (c)Iago begins to prove himself trustworthy (d) Iago is not a major player in 3.3, but comes in later

47. What is ironic about the lines 3.3.178-179, "Beware of jealousy…? (a) Iago is himself jealous and that feeling is fueling all of his action (b) at the same time he is cautioning Othello about jealousy, he is attempting to make Othello jealous (c) Desdemona is predisposed to jealousy and so Iago is trying to also make Othello jealous (d) a and b (e) b and c

48. 3.3 is an essential act because: (a) Iago's plan begins to take form (b) Othello begins to doubt Desdemona (c) Iago convinces Othello of his love and adoration, while plating seeds of doubt about Cassio (d) all of the above (e) a and c

49. What is the tone of the first half of 3.3? (a) happy (b) sad (c) foreboding (d)hostile (e) who cares about the tone of a scene, where are all the puns?
 
 

Protegé of James Calderwood and H(arold) E. Toliver
4.1

64. A key word as well as concept that links 4.1 with Shakespeare’s Richard II, 1 Henry IV, and 2 Henry IV is: (a) courage (b) honor (c) justice (d) power

65. Othello’s words “first to be hanged and then to confess” (4.1.38-39) exemplify (unwittingly) the rhetorical figure: (a) hyperbole (b) hypallage (c) hypocorism (d) hysteron proteron (e) hendiadys

66. The figure of speech referred to in the immediately preceding question helps convey: (a) the disorderliness of Othello’s mind (b) Othello’s tendency toward exaggeration (c) Othello’s desire for vengeance over justice (d) Othello’s difficulty with the English language versus Italian (e) a & c

67. Iago’s question to Othello, just recovering from a seizure, “Have you not hurt your head?” (4.1.59), which echoes Othello’s statement to Desdemona “I have a pain upon my forehead here” (3.3.300), suggests not only the motif of the “horning” in cuckholding but also: (a) Othello’s rejection of help from those close to him (b) the damage to Othello’s mind from Iago’s plot ©) Othello’s inherited ability with herbal medicines (d) the sense of inferiority felt by Othello in his ancestry, first expressed in 1.2

68. In the arrangements that he makes with Othello (“Stand you awhile apart . . . “marry, patience!” (4.1.76-89) and Lodovico (“You shall observe . . . he continues” (4.1.285-88), Iago becomes a: (a) pimp (b) procrastinator (c) playwright (d) parliamentarian (e) polymath (f) peculator (g) prig (h) ponce

69. When Iago vouches for the authenticity of the handkerchief that has passed from Bianca to Cassio, answering Othello’s query with “Yours, by this hand” (4.1.176), his phrase not only has the meaning “indeed” or “truly” but also a thematic link to: (a) Iago’s scheming (b) Desdemona’s comforting (c) Bianca’s fondling (d) Cassio’s tippling

70. In the extended stage business that occurs while Othello looks over the letters that have arrived from Venice, and Desdemona and Lodovico converse (from Lodovico’s “The Duke and the senators of Venice greet you” to Othello’s “goats and monkeys” [4.1.218-270]), a visual emblem is conveyed of all the following except which one: (a) Othello’s usual disregard of authority (b) Othello’s divided attention (c) Othello’s obsession in jealousy (d) Othello’s fragmentation of mind

71. Near the end of 4.1, while demurring about giving a negative report to Lodovico, Iago manages to inject what is his own personal key word and repeated epithet throughout the play: (a) busy (b) fiery (c) honest (d) skillful (e) valiant
 
 

Alice Wynn
5.2, fh

86. In 5.2.12-13, “I know not where…thy light relume” alludes to the idea of: (a) the re-lighting of torches or lamps after they have gone out (b) the betrayal that Othello feels and his redemption (c) Desdemona’s rebirth after her death (d) the opposition of light (innocence) and dark (betrayal)

87. The lines in 5.2.4-5 “Nor scar…monumental alabaster” may be seen as a metaphor for:  (a) Desdemona’s death (b) Desdemona’s innocence (c) Desdemona’s beauty (d) all of these (e) none of these

88. The language used in 5.2.138-139 “She was…to say” is for what purpose? (a) to suggest opposition between Othello and Desdemona (b) to illustrate difference in opinion between Othello and Emilia (c) to personify the temperaments of Othello and Desdemona (d) to personify the difference between Othello’s accusations and Desdemona’s “betrayal”

89. After the murder of Desdemona, Othello is referred to repeatedly as “the Moor.” Why is this so? (a) it illustrates the lack of respect felt for him (b) it dehumanizes him (c) it reiterates prejudices against him (d) all of these (e) none of these

90. What is the reason behind Emilia’s line in 5.2.225, “Oh God! Oh, heavenly God!”? (a) her reaction to Desdemona’s death (b) her realization of her unintentional involvement (c) her astonishment at Gratiano’s statement (d) her reaction to Iago’s accusations of madness

91. Why does Iago stab Emilia? (a) he is angry with her (b) it is an accident (c) to keep her quiet (d) the reason is unclear

92. Othello’s lines in 5.2.118-119, “Not Cassio…grows harsh” suggest: (a) things are not quite as planned (b) he has killed Desdemona for no reason (c) he sees the error of his ways (d) revenge is sweet