Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 1, scene 1, of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided. This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly. More specifically, students will do the following: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Discern the function of a given detail Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare two characters (Beatrice and Benedick) Discern tone in context Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbole, juxtaposition, allusion, metaphor, and more Explore the symbolism associated with a given detail Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision

With this printable test covering the entirety of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, English teachers will be able to evaluate students’ comprehension of key characters, plot developments, and literary craft. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A breakdown of content follows. Part 1. Knowledge of Plot. Students will demonstrate comprehension of the following: Christopher Sly’s disruptive behavior An activity in which Christopher Sly participates Baptista’s terms for his daughters’ marriages Lucentio’s persona, “Cambio” The quality in women about which Petruchio cares most Hortensio’s persona, “Litio” Petruchio’s intentions for Katharina Baptista’s preferences to be his son-in-law Petruchio’s tardiness to the wedding Petruchio’s appearance on his wedding day Bianca’s assessment of her sister’s relationship An accident involving a horse Petruchio’s strictness Hortensio’s feelings toward Petruchio Petruchio’s eccentric behavior Hortensio’s marriage A test of the wives’ loyalty Katharina’s closing speech Part 2. True/False. Students will identify whether a statement is true or false. Questions focus on: “Cambio’s” area of expertise The nature of the relationship between Bianca and Katharina The first character to reveal his true identity to Bianca Hortensio’s dwindling affection toward Bianca Katharina’s reaction to her husband’s strange behavior Baptista’s negotiating the terms of his daughters’ marriages Baptista and Vincentio’s forgiveness of their children The false Vincentio’s reaction to meeting the real Vincentio Part 3. Quotations in Context. Students will match an excerpt with its appropriate context. Act 1, scene 1: Hark, Tranio! thou may’st hear Minerva speak. Act 1, scene 1: No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en: / In brief, sir, study what you most affect. Act 2, scene 1: Her silence flouts me, and I’ll be revenged. Act 2, scene 1: O slow-wing’d turtle! shall a buzzard take thee? Act 3, scene 2: Go, girl; I cannot blame thee now to weep; / For such an injury would vex a very saint, / Much more a shrew of thy impatient humour. Act 3, scene 2: That, being mad herself, she’s madly mated. Act 4, scene 2: …here I firmly vow / Never to woo her no more, but do forswear her, / As one unworthy all the former favours / That I have fondly flatter’d her withal. Act 5, scene 1: Fear not, Baptista; we will content you, go to: but / I will in, to be revenged for this villany Act 5, scene 2: A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, / Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty… Part 4. Application of Literary Devices. Students will be given a detail or excerpt from the drama and must determine which literary device is best reflected. Literary devices addressed include: Sibilance Allusion Hyperbole Anaphora Oxymoron Aposiopesis Idiom Metaphor Consonance Simile Onomatopoeia

Conclude a unit on William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with this fifty-question test delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. An answer key is included. This assessment is divided into four sections and breaks down as follows. Part 1. Multiple choice. Students will demonstrate knowledge of character and plot details. Part 2. True/False and Either Or. Students will identify whether a statement is true or false, or they will identify the correct option between two choices. Part 3. Matching. Students will match an excerpt with its appropriate context. Part 4. Multiple choice. Students will be given a detail or excerpt and must determine which literary device is best reflected.

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 5, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including euphemism and allusion Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 4, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare the characters of Portia and Antonio Consider themes in context Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including oxymoron, onomatopoeia, allusion, personification, symbolism, invective, and more Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Determine the function of a given passage Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare the characters of Antonio and Shylock Apply knowledge of various literary devices including metaphor, personification, and more Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 9, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Determine the function of a given passage Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including metaphor, allusion, and more Conduct brief online research (if necessary) to determine the symbolic value of a particular object Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 8, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including invective, juxtaposition, and hyperbole Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 6, of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including situational irony, allusion, hyperbole, personification, oxymoron, and more Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 5, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the Shakespeare’s word choices and narrative techniques Describe tone in context Determine the functions of the scene Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbole and situational irony Compare and contrast characters Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works