Oedipus Rex
1. Oedipus responds to learning the truth of who he is and what he has done by...
A. Killing Jocasta
B. Killing himself and his daughters
C. Going into exile
D. Blinding himself
E. None of the above
2. One theme of this play might be...
A. Life is short, live it to the fullest.
B. The universe is ruled by chance with, no discernable, supernatural power
C. Human beings are the only consciousness in the universe
D. Next to the gods, humans are weak
E. None of the above
3. When Jocasta learns the truth of the situation she....
A. Blinds herself
B. Kills herself
C. Kills Oedipus
D. Shrugs it off
E. None of the above
4. The reason Oedipus has a limp is...
A. He was injured in his fight with Laius
B. He was injured in war back in Corinth
C. He severed his Achilles tendon as an act of contrition for his sins
D. Tieresias placed a curse upon him that he would be known as "the limping king"
E. None of the above
5. The first character in the play to correctly reveal the murderer's identity is...
A. Jocasta
B. The messenger from Corinth who brings news of the death of Polybus
C. Creon
D. Tieresias
E. None of the above
Othello
1. The reason(s) for Iago's actions against Othello are
a. He was in love with Desdemona
b. Othello swindled Iago in a land sale
c. Iago is jealous of Othello's physical strength
d. Emilia has confessed her attraction for Othello
e. None of the above
2. The prop, which is central in convincing Othello of Desdemona's infidelity, is
a. A handkerchief
b. Love letters
c. A wedding ring
d. Desdemona's wedding vale
e. None of the above
3. Othello repeatedly praises Iago for these qualities
a. Honesty and trustworthiness
b. Cunning and guile
c. Refinement and taste
d. Intellect and fine speaking
e. All of the above
4. Desdemona meets her end when
a. Cassio strangles her in a jealous fit
b. Iago stabs her before she can tell Othello the truth
c. Her father, Brabantio orders her thrown overboard
d. Othello kills her
e. None of the above
5. Roderigo desires Desdemona for
A. Her un-spoiled virtue
B. Her money
C. Her appearance
D. Because Brabantio wants him for a son in law
E. None of the above
6. Emilia suggests that the reason women are unfaithful to their husbands is
A. No woman can be satisfied by only one lover
B. That's the way God made things, so why fight it
C. That's the way they are treated by their husbands
D. All of the above
1. The job of finding funding for a production is accomplished by the
A. Producer
B. Actor
C. Director
D. Designer
2. If you were producing a national tour of the latest Broadway hit you would be engaged in
A. Commercial Theater
B. Non-Profit Professional
C. Community Theater
D. Academic Theater
3. The difference between planning for a costume and actually building that costume is the difference between
A. Design and Direction
B. Direction and Building
C. Producing and Design
D. Design and Building
4. The following assumptions are generally useful ideas regarding theater....
A. Commercial Theater offers the best, most daring product
B. Academic Theater combines professional and amateur workers
C. Non-profit theaters never pay employees
D. All of these statements are generally correct
5. The job of the actor is to
A. Give up their identity to become the character
B. Comment on the character's most obvious traits
C. Impersonate the character
D. Memorize the lines and cry on cue
6. The job of the director is to
a. Change the text to suit the talents of the cast
b. Interact with media outlets and promote the play
c. Provide unified artistic vision
d. Seek alternative professional opportunities
7. The communication of background information is called
A. The climax
B. The denouement
C. The exposition
D. All of the above
8. The point of maximum tension is called
A. The hot spot
B. The denouement
C. The aftermath
D. The climax
9. The god to whom the ancient Greeks dedicated theater was
A. Apollo
B. Zeus
C. Hera
D. Dionysus
9. Attending the week-long festival on the fourth day one would have seen
A. Three tragedies and a satyr play
B. Two tragedies, a comedy, and a satyr play
C. Five comedies
D. It's impossible to say
10. The Theater of Dionysus at Athens featured....
A. A circular orchestra where the chorus performed
B. A skene (scene house) where the actors entered and exited the stage
C. A seating area, which held about 17,000 spectators
D. All of the above
11. Among the innovations which Seneca is responsible for is
A. Reducing the size of the chorus from 50 to 12
B. Adding the third actor
C. Soliloquies and asides
D. All of the above
12. One reason for the absence of theater in the early middle ages was
A. The Church's ban on actors receiving the sacraments
B. The death of Shakespeare
C. The discovery of ancient Greek texts
D. All of the above
13. The significance of the Concordia Regularis is
A. It shows the re-emergence of theater at the beginning of the latter middle ages
B. It offers a re-interpretation of the plays of Seneca
C. It identifies cities engaged in dramatic production
D. All of the above
14. When drama was presented within Christian service
a. The actors were clergy and lay-people, but not professional actors
b. The dialogue was in Latin
c. The subject mater was drawn from the bible
d. All of the above
15. The name for the first group of professional playwrights of the Elizabethan era was
A. Frat Boys
B. College Pranksters
C. University Slackers
D. University Wits
16. The economic nature of the theater during the Shakespearean era was most like
A. Non-profit theater
B. Academic theater
B. Commercial theater
D. Community Theater
17. A perfect iambic pentameter line would include
A. Ten syllables
B. An alternation of stress, beginning with a stressed syllable followed by an un-stressed syllable
C. A rhyme scheme of "A-B-B-A"
D. All of the above
18. During Shakespeare's day female performers were
A. Able to appear on the stage so long as they pretended to be men
B. Forbidden from acting on the stage
C. Able to freely participate in the range of theatrical activities
D. All of the above
19. Which of these jobs is considered a managerial function
a. Actor: They "manage" the character
b. Playwright: They dictate the performance
c. Producer: They "manage" the money
d. Designer: They "manage" the look of the show
20. Non-profit, professional theaters
a. Try to get about half of their revenue from grants and donations
b. Offer tax incentives for donors
c. Are managed by a Board of Directors
d. All of the above
21. Compared to the Greek playwrights, Shakespeare
a. Allow protagonists to change
b. Does not use either limitation of space or time
c. Uses extensive scenery
d. Uses an early point of attack
22. Which of these values illustrate the stagecraft of the Shakespearean age
a. Sophistication and detail in scenery and costumes
b. Distance and intellectual moderation
c. Speed and intimacy
d. None of the above
23. If you were a "groundling" you would be
a. Standing in the yard at a Public theater
b. Watching a performance from the upper balcony
c. The lowest level employee of a Theater company
d. None of the above
24. It is a general truth that
a. Professional actors make a solid, if unspectacular living
b. Directors and Designers are paid better than actors
c. Unemployment is rampant in the Theater
d. All of the above
25. One reason for the question surrounding Shakespearean authorship is
a. His middle class background and limited formal education
b. His association with known criminals and forgers
c. His limited experience as an actor
d. All of the above