Macbeth Test Answers

Part I.

1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by

A. Slaying the traitor Macdonwald.

2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

B. The Thane of Cawdor him.

3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)

"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)

"A future father of kings." (III)

A. I and II only

4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to

A. His titles of Glamis and Cawdor.

5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to

A. The traitorous Thane of Cawdor.

6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of

B. A metaphor.

7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being

B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."

8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?

"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)

"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)

"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)

B. II and III

9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he

C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.

10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would

A. get the chamberlains drunk.

11. Trace Macbeth's transformation from a good man to an evil man.

12. What motivates Macbeth to take the evil path he chooses?

13. What influence do the witches have on Macbeth?

14. Contrast Macbeth's response to the witches' predictions with Banquo's.

15. Describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Trace how it changes over the course of the play.

Part 2

1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the

B. dagger.

2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that

B. he looked like her father

3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

B. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies.

4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.

5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that

C. he will eradicate all records of their previous crimes.

6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo

7. The Witches threw into the cauldron

"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)

"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)

"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)

A. I and II

8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were

An armed head. (I)

A child with a crown. (II)

A bloody child (III)

C. I, II, and III

9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he

B. suspects a trick.

10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when

B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.

11. What is the significance of the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I, i, 10)?

12. How does Macbeth function as a morality play?

13. How does Shakespeare use the technique of dramatic irony in Macbeth?

14. How does Lady Macbeth overcome her husband's resistance to the idea of killing King Duncan?

15. Contrast Macduff's response to the news of his wife's and children's deaths with Macbeth's response to being told Lady Macbeth is dead