Middle School Shakespeare Quiz

Here is a sample of the questions middle school students were asked in the 2009 DPS Shakespeare Festival Challenge Bowl.

The questions cover five categories: Elizabethan England; Famous Quotes; Richard III (this year’s featured play); Shakespeare’s Biography; Shakespeare’s Plays and Theaters.

1. What is the name of the important river that runs through London?
2. What was the most valuable commodity in Elizabethan England?
3. In what Shakespeare play is the following quote: “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.”
4. In what Shakespeare play is the following quote: “Alas, poor Yorick!”
5. Who poses the greatest threat to Richard’s reign as king of England?
6. What message does Richard receive in a dream the night before battle against the Earl of Richmond?
7. What is the name of Shakespeare’s firstborn child?
8. What is the meter of Shakespeare’s poetry?
9. What were groups of actors called during Shakespeare’s time?
10. Which play was NOT written by Shakespeare: The Importance of Being Earnest; The Merchant of Venice; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Two Gentlemen of Verona?

Answers.