Merchant of Venice Sample Questions:

Act I, Scenes 1-3
1. Compare and contrast Antonio’s situation in signing the agreement with Shylock, with Portia’s situation of being held bound to her father’s will.

2. Contrast Antonio’s loans to Bassanio with Shylock’s loan to Antonio and Bassanio

Act II, Scenes 1-9
1. What is the relationship—both structurally and thematically—of the Jessica/Lorenzo subplot to the main plots of The Merchant of Venice ?

2. Compare and contrast Morocco’s reasoning during the selection of caskets with Aragon’s speech during the same test.

 

1. Antonio is

• a beggar
• a bard
• a merchant
• a thief

2. Bassanio wants to marry Portia for what reason?

• Because he loves her
• Because he is lonely
• Because she is beautiful
• Because she has money

3. What does Antonio have to do in order for Bassanio to receive money?

• He must promise to convert to Christianity
• He must promise his daughter in marriage
• He must sell some of his ships
• He must pledge his own collateral for the loan

4. What Biblical passage does Shylock quote to defend charging interest on loans?

• The scene of the last supper
• Jacob receiving the striped lambs from his father-in-law
• Pilot whipping Jesus 40 times
• Noah building the ark

5. When Shylock demands a pound of Antonio's flesh as collateral for the loan, what does Antonio think of this deal?

• He claims that he would prefer to have to pay interest on the loan
• He is pleased and remarks that Shylock may someday become a Christian
• He thinks Shylock wants to murder him
• He is mortified and refuses to agree to the loan

6. When the play begins, Antonio and Portia can best be described as:

• corrupt
• happy
• depressed
• ambiguous

7. Who is the merchant of Venice?

• Antonio
• Shylock
• Bassanio
• Portio

8. The charging of interest, or lack thereof, is best represented by what metaphors throughout the play?

• References to inheritance and marriage
• Ships and merchant activities, such as shipping silk and tea
• Three caskets
• Sheep imagery, such as ewes, wethers and fleeces

9. What condition must the Prince of Morocco agree to before he may choose from among the caskets?

• That if he chooses wrong, he will never marry
• That if he chooses wrong, he will give Portia all his wealth and leave forever
• That if he chooses wrong, he will kill himself
• That if he chooses wrong, he will have to marry a woman of Portia's choosing

10. Gobbo arrives with a present for Shylock. What is the present?

• Baubles
• Sweetmeats
• Gold
• Doves

 

• 11. Lancelot leaves Shylock to become whose servant?
  • Jessica
  • Antonio
  • Bassanio
  • Gobbo
• 12. Lorenzo and Jessica do what during the masque?
  • Purchase a monkey and bring it back to Shylock's house
  • They run away from Shylock's house, taking a great deal of gold and valuables with them
  • Become drunk with the other revelers
  • Get into an argument and refuse to speak to one another
• 13. How is Jessica dressed when she runs away from Shylock?
  • In a valuable dress covered with jewels
  • As a queen
  • As a clown
  • As a man
• 14. The Prince of Morocco chooses which casket?
  • Lead
  • Gold
  • Bronze
  • Silver
• 15. The second suitor, the Prince of Aragon, arrives in Belmont and chooses the silver casket. What does the casket reveal?
  • A blinking idiot
  • A skull
  • A miniature portrait of Portia
  • A dagger
• 16. In this play, the failure to marry is analogous to what?
  • castration
  • ineptitude
  • poverty
  • deliverance
• 17. Lancelot and Gobbo mimic what biblical scene when they first meet?
  • David and Goliath
  • Jacob and Esau
  • Adam and Eve
  • Pilot and Jesus
• 18. What is one fundamental difference between Belmont and Venice?
  • Belmont is larger than Venice in absolute landmass
  • Belmont is a commercial center, whereas Venice is an artistic center
  • Belmont has women present, whereas Venice only has men on the streets
  • Belmont represents the middle classes, whereas Venice represents the aristocratic classes
• 19. Shylock delivers his famous monologue, "Hath not a Jew eyes?", to which characters?
  • Solanio and Salerio
  • Jessica and Lorenzo
  • Bassanio and Graziano
  • Portia and Nerissa
• 20. What item(s) does Jessica trade for a monkey?
• A turquoise ring
• A heavy gold chain
• A casket made of silver
• Gold ducats

21. How many ships does Antonio believe he has lost in total?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

22. After Bassanio chooses the correct casket, what does Portia give him and tell him never to lose?

• Herself
• Money to take to Antonio
• A ring
• The casket

23. How does Bassanio choose the casket?

• He closes his eyes and points
• He chooses only by looking at the caskets
• He picks randomly
• He reads the inscriptions and likes what the lead casket says

24. Some scholars have interpreted the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio as:

• Homoerotic
• Abusive
• Superficial
• Disingenuous

25. What amount of money does Bassanio offer Shylock to pay off Antonio's debt?

• 2,000 ducats
• 6,000 ducats
• 8,000 ducats
• 10,000 ducats