This GCSE English Literature quiz will challenge you on themes in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Any work of literature will contain multiple themes; these will range from the obvious to the subtle. Individual themes also interact with one another so that it is often misleading to talk of a single theme in isolation. Setting, character, plot and dialogue provide vehicles for the development of a text’s various themes. Pay close attention to any concepts and ideas which you notice arising in different parts of the text; these are its dominant themes.
One method of analysis is to trace the development of a theme over the course of a text, paying attention to related ideas and the different ways in which these are expressed.
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Before writing about a particular theme, check whether your view at the beginning of the text matches the view you hold at the end. Have your ideas changed? Can you identify the point in the text where your views on that theme began to change?
The themes of a text are the conduits through which authors communicate meaning to the audience. Ideally, a reader will reconsider prior beliefs and ways of looking at the world, even if these are merely reconfirmed (although there is also the possibility of change). Whenever a text challenges you, the author has successfully encouraged you to engage with one or more of its themes. Remember that you might not necessarily share the same views as other readers; you might even find that you disagree strongly with others, including your teacher. Your response to a text will be deeply personal, which is inevitable when you bring your own thoughts, beliefs and experiences into consideration as you read.
Much Ado About Nothing deals with themes of love, marriage, familial relationships, deceit and disguise, gender and power, illegitimacy, and the weight of societal expectation. As in any text, these themes are interrelated, rather than acting in isolation.
Read the questions below and test your knowledge of the themes of Much Ado About Nothing.
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1.
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The uneasy relationship between men and women is a prominent theme of Much Ado About Nothing. Which of the following aspects of the play does NOT relate to this theme? |
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[ ] |
The anxiety over Hero's faithfulness or unfaithfulness to Claudio |
[ ] |
Beatrice's reluctance to marry |
[ ] |
The Friar's judgement of Hero |
[ ] |
Claudio's and Don Pedro's jokes about the possibility that Benedick's future wife will cheat on him |
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2.
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Which of the following is correct? |
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[ ] |
Beatrice is pressured by her friends and family to get married; Benedick is encouraged to remain single |
[ ] |
Benedick is pressured by his friends to marry; Beatrice is encouraged to remain single |
[ ] |
Both Benedick and Beatrice are pressured to marry |
[ ] |
Neither Beatrice nor Benedick is pressured to marry |
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3.
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Which of the following events is NOT brought about through deception? |
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[ ] |
Beatrice's and Benedick's marriage |
[ ] |
Dogberry's discovery of the plot |
[ ] |
Claudio's abandonment of Hero at their wedding |
[ ] |
Claudio's and Hero's marriage |
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4.
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What do Don Pedro's wooing of Hero and Borachio's scene in the bedroom window with Margaret share in common? |
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[ ] |
Innocent amusement |
[ ] |
Playfulness |
[ ] |
The intention to bring harm |
[ ] |
A reliance on disguise |
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5.
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Leonato says of Beatrice and Benedick, "There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them." How is the "merry war" resolved? |
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[ ] |
Through boredom |
[ ] |
Through Beatrice's victory |
[ ] |
Through death |
[ ] |
Through marriage |
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6.
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DON PEDRO: I think this is your daughter.
LEONATO: Her mother hath many times told me so.
Leonato's joke relates to which of the play's themes? |
|
[ ] |
Deception |
[ ] |
Illegitimacy |
[ ] |
Fraught relationships between men and women |
[ ] |
All of the above |
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7.
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Which of the following lines spoken by Leonato best expresses the relationship of father to daughter in this play? |
|
[ ] |
"Are these things spoken, or do I but dream" |
[ ] |
"O fate, take not away thy heavy hand" |
[ ] |
"But mine, and mine I loved, and mine I praised, / And mine that I was proud on" |
[ ] |
"Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left / Is that she will not add to her damnation / A sin of perjury" |
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8.
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"It were possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you, but believe me not, and yet I lie not. I confess nothing nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin." Which of the following is a key word in these lines spoken by Beatrice? |
|
[ ] |
You |
[ ] |
Believe |
[ ] |
Confess |
[ ] |
Nothing |
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9.
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What does Leonato say would be better than his daughter's dishonour? |
|
[ ] |
Death |
[ ] |
Justice |
[ ] |
Revenge |
[ ] |
Life in the convent |
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10.
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Beatrice compares courtship and love to a dance which begins quickly and in a lively manner and ends in a slow, staid style. At the end of the play Benedick asks for a dance. What is significant about his request? |
|
[ ] |
He asks for a slow dance |
[ ] |
He asks for a dance before they marry |
[ ] |
He asks someone else to dance |
[ ] |
Beatrice refuses to join him |
|
|
1.
|
The uneasy relationship between men and women is a prominent theme of Much Ado About Nothing. Which of the following aspects of the play does NOT relate to this theme? |
|
[ ] |
The anxiety over Hero's faithfulness or unfaithfulness to Claudio |
[ ] |
Beatrice's reluctance to marry |
[x] |
The Friar's judgement of Hero |
[ ] |
Claudio's and Don Pedro's jokes about the possibility that Benedick's future wife will cheat on him |
|
|
2.
|
Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
Beatrice is pressured by her friends and family to get married; Benedick is encouraged to remain single |
[ ] |
Benedick is pressured by his friends to marry; Beatrice is encouraged to remain single |
[x] |
Both Benedick and Beatrice are pressured to marry |
[ ] |
Neither Beatrice nor Benedick is pressured to marry |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following events is NOT brought about through deception? |
|
[ ] |
Beatrice's and Benedick's marriage |
[x] |
Dogberry's discovery of the plot |
[ ] |
Claudio's abandonment of Hero at their wedding |
[ ] |
Claudio's and Hero's marriage |
|
|
4.
|
What do Don Pedro's wooing of Hero and Borachio's scene in the bedroom window with Margaret share in common? |
|
[ ] |
Innocent amusement |
[ ] |
Playfulness |
[ ] |
The intention to bring harm |
[x] |
A reliance on disguise |
|
|
5.
|
Leonato says of Beatrice and Benedick, "There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them." How is the "merry war" resolved? |
|
[ ] |
Through boredom |
[ ] |
Through Beatrice's victory |
[ ] |
Through death |
[x] |
Through marriage |
|
|
6.
|
DON PEDRO: I think this is your daughter.
LEONATO: Her mother hath many times told me so.
Leonato's joke relates to which of the play's themes? |
|
[ ] |
Deception |
[ ] |
Illegitimacy |
[ ] |
Fraught relationships between men and women |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
7.
|
Which of the following lines spoken by Leonato best expresses the relationship of father to daughter in this play? |
|
[ ] |
"Are these things spoken, or do I but dream" |
[ ] |
"O fate, take not away thy heavy hand" |
[x] |
"But mine, and mine I loved, and mine I praised, / And mine that I was proud on" |
[ ] |
"Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left / Is that she will not add to her damnation / A sin of perjury" |
|
|
8.
|
"It were possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you, but believe me not, and yet I lie not. I confess nothing nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin." Which of the following is a key word in these lines spoken by Beatrice? |
|
[ ] |
You |
[ ] |
Believe |
[ ] |
Confess |
[x] |
Nothing |
|
|
9.
|
What does Leonato say would be better than his daughter's dishonour? |
|
[x] |
Death |
[ ] |
Justice |
[ ] |
Revenge |
[ ] |
Life in the convent |
|
|
10.
|
Beatrice compares courtship and love to a dance which begins quickly and in a lively manner and ends in a slow, staid style. At the end of the play Benedick asks for a dance. What is significant about his request? |
|
[ ] |
He asks for a slow dance |
[x] |
He asks for a dance before they marry |
[ ] |
He asks someone else to dance |
[ ] |
Beatrice refuses to join him |
|
|