Question: Which of the following statements best represents Lacan’s view of Ophelia in his essay, “Desire and the Interpretation of Desire in ’Hamlet’” ?

• 1. Hamlet desires his mother, not Ophelia.
• 2. Hamlet desires revenge, not Ophelia.
• 3. Hamlet desires Ophelia, but only when she is unattainable.
• 4. Hamlet desires attaining the throne of Denmark, of which Ophelia is a symbol.

Question: Which of the following statements offers the best definition of an epistolary novel ?

• 1. A novel set in the past
• 2. A novel that consists entirely of dialogue
• 3. A novel that is set in the countryside of Europe
• 4. A novel that consists of a series of documents, such as diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles

Question: A play that begins in medias res________________?

• 1. begins at the apparent end of the story.
• 2. introduces the characters of the play one by one.
• 3. opens by plunging the viewer into a crucial series of events.
• 4. begins with a preview of the play’s conclusion.

Question: Which of the following statements offers the best definition of the term Bildungsroman ?

• 1. A story of one person’s fall from grace and into destruction
• 2. A story of one person’s growth and development within a particular social order
• 3. A story of one person’s success within a capitalistic economic system
• 4. A story of one person’s selfrealization and attempt to return to innocence

Question: What is hermeneutics ?

• 1. A system for categorizing books
• 2. The psychological study of authors
• 3. The study of textual interpretation
• 4. A reader-response test

Question: Which of the following offers the best description of literary theory ?

• 1. Literary theory involves coming to a precise understanding of a writer’s psychology.
• 2. Literary theory involves measuring the quality of a literary work.
• 3. Literary theory involves considering the publication history of literary texts.
• 4. Literary theory involves describing the underlying principles of a literary work.

Question: Which of the following offers the best definition of a theatrical tragedy ?

• 1. A play that depicts the downfall of a noble person
• 2. A play in which someone gets revenge
• 3. A play in which a hero faces likely defeat and overcomes it
• 4. A play in which no form of humor appears

Question: Dr. Allen Shoaf’s essay, “’Hamlet’: Like Mother, Like Son”, argues which of the following points ?

• 1. Hamlet’s father’s ghost is not really a ghost.
• 2. Hamlet feels a sense of desire for both his mother and his father.
• 3. Hamlet is truly insane in the play.
• 4. Hamlet is an impossible play to truly understand.

Question: Which of the following lines provides an example of a poetic apostrophe ?

• 1. “She is a woman of beauty and wonder.”
• 2. “Death, that which feels nothing.”
• 3. “Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: / England hath need of thee.”
• 4. “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”

Question: Which of the following offers the best definition of a Greek theatrical comedy ?

• 1. A play in which characters make humorous remarks
• 2. A play in which characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better
• 3. A play in which no characters die or suffer
• 4. A play in which elite members of society are mocked