Hamlet Act 3 Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. What does Ophelia try to return to Hamlet during the nunnery scene?
Letters written by Hamlet to Horatio
Books borrowed from Hamlet
A ring sent to her by Gertrude
Remembrances Hamlet previously gave her
2. Why does Hamlet ask Horatio to watch Claudius during the performance?
To judge Claudius’s reaction to a scene resembling the murder
To learn whether Claudius recognizes the visiting actors
To stop Claudius from leaving before the final speech
To record Claudius’s public criticism of the acting
3. Who secretly observes Hamlet’s encounter with Ophelia in Act 3, Scene 1?
Gertrude and Horatio
Claudius and Polonius
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Polonius and Laertes
4. How does Gertrude respond when Hamlet speaks to the Ghost in her chamber?
She recognizes the Ghost and asks it for forgiveness
She hears the Ghost but cannot determine where it stands
She calls Claudius into the room to witness the apparition
She sees nothing and interprets Hamlet’s behavior as madness
5. Why does the Ghost reappear during Hamlet’s confrontation with Gertrude?
To accuse Gertrude of helping to plan the murder
To order Hamlet to punish Polonius’s family
To renew Hamlet’s focus on revenge and urge compassion for Gertrude
To reveal that Claudius has already escaped Denmark
6. Why does Hamlet decide not to kill Claudius while Claudius appears to be praying?
Hamlet fears killing Claudius at prayer could send Claudius’s soul to heaven
Hamlet realizes that Claudius is not responsible for the murder
Hamlet sees guards approaching the prayer chamber
Hamlet has permanently abandoned his plan for revenge
7. What performance style does Hamlet urge the players to use?
Rigid recitation with no emotional expression
Loud improvisation designed to overwhelm the court
Controlled, natural delivery rather than exaggerated gestures and speech
Broad comedy added to every serious scene
8. What creates the central dramatic irony at the end of Claudius’s prayer scene?
Claudius expects Gertrude to enter, but Ophelia arrives instead
Claudius knows Hamlet is nearby, but Hamlet believes he is hidden
Hamlet thinks the Ghost is present, but Claudius can see no apparition
Hamlet assumes Claudius is spiritually prepared, but Claudius admits his prayer has failed
9. What plan does Claudius make for Hamlet after the nunnery scene?
Send him to Wittenberg to resume his studies
Confine him inside Elsinore under Polonius’s guard
Arrange an immediate marriage between Hamlet and Ophelia
Send him to England
10. Which moment in the play within the play causes Claudius to rise and demand light?
The Player Queen promises never to remarry
Lucianus enters and speaks about ambition
Lucianus pours poison into the sleeping king’s ear
The murderer approaches the garden while the court watches
11. Hamlet hears someone behind the arras in Gertrude’s chamber. What action follows?
He calls the guards to arrest the hidden listener
He thrusts his sword through the arras, killing Polonius
He tears down the arras and discovers Claudius
He leaves the chamber to avoid another trap
12. What name does Hamlet give the play performed before the court?
The Mousetrap
The Poisoned Crown
The Murder of Hamlet
The Fall of Troy
13. Before visiting Gertrude after the performance, how does Hamlet describe his intended approach?
He will conceal what he knows and ask for her advice
He will speak harshly to her but will not physically harm her
He will persuade her to leave Denmark with him that night
He will force her to accuse Claudius before the court
14. Why is Claudius unable to complete a sincere prayer for forgiveness?
He doubts that his brother’s murder was morally wrong
He fears Hamlet will attack him if he closes his eyes
He is unwilling to surrender the gains obtained through the murder
He believes a king cannot receive religious forgiveness
15. What does Claudius’s abrupt reaction to the performance lead Hamlet to infer?
Ophelia has secretly warned Claudius about the altered play
The Ghost’s accusation against Claudius is credible
Claudius plans to confess publicly before the court
The actors accidentally performed the wrong murder scene
16. After secretly watching Hamlet and Ophelia, what does Claudius conclude about Hamlet?
Rejected love is not the main cause of his troubling behavior
His grief for his father is beginning to disappear
His behavior is entirely an act staged with Ophelia
He has discovered every detail of Claudius’s crime