Which character leaves the stage first in Act 1, Scene 5?

Kent, hurrying off with Lear's letters

The Fool, sent to fetch Lear's horses from the stable

A Gentleman, sent back to warn Goneril

Lear himself, storming out ahead of his men

Why does Lear tell Kent that he must be speedy?

Otherwise Lear himself will get there before him

Goneril has ordered Kent arrested by nightfall

The roads to Gloucester are closed to travelers after dark

Regan is about to leave on a long journey

In the Fool's comparison, what are the two daughters as alike as?

One crab apple and another crab apple

Two oysters lying in the same shell

A snail and the house it carries

The seven stars that hang in the sky

What does Lear ask about twice during the scene?

Whether his horses are ready for the journey

Whether Goneril has sent anyone after him

Where Kent has gone with the letters

How many of his knights are still with him

What point is the Fool making with the riddle about why a nose sits in the middle of a face?

That a man should use his eyes to see what he cannot smell out

That a king should trust what his nose tells him over gossip

That faces, like kingdoms, are best divided into equal parts

That Lear should keep his nose out of his daughters' affairs

What does the Fool say Lear would deserve if Lear were his fool?

To be beaten for being old before his time

To be sent away without his coat and his fool's cap

To be locked out of the house in the cold

To be given his kingdom back as a joke

What does Lear's line 'I will forget my nature. So kind a father!' suggest?

He is ready to stop acting as a loving father

He plans to give Goneril a second chance

He has forgotten why he quarreled with Goneril

He wants the Fool to be kinder to his daughters

Which of these events actually occur in Act 1, Scene 5?

Lear tells Kent to share only what the letter prompts his daughter to ask.

The Fool asks Lear how an oyster makes its shell.

A Gentleman reports that the horses are ready.

Goneril comes out to beg Lear to stay.

Lear strikes the Fool for mocking him.

Kent reveals his true identity to the Fool.

What does 'kibes' mean in: 'If a man's brains were in's heels, were't not in danger of kibes?'

Holes worn through the soles of shoes

King Lear, ACT I - Scene V. quiz

From King Lear by William Shakespeare

King Lear Act 1, Scene 5 summary: Lear sends Kent ahead to Regan, the Fool's riddles sting, and the king first begs heaven that he not go mad.

11 questions · about 12 minutes

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Questions and answers

1
Question 1. Which character leaves the stage first in Act 1, Scene 5?
- The Fool, sent to fetch Lear's horses from the stable
- Correct answer: Kent, hurrying off with Lear's letters
- A Gentleman, sent back to warn Goneril
- Lear himself, storming out ahead of his men
Kent exits right after promising not to sleep until the letter is delivered; everyone else leaves together at the end.
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2
Question 2. Why does Lear tell Kent that he must be speedy?
- Goneril has ordered Kent arrested by nightfall
- The roads to Gloucester are closed to travelers after dark
- Correct answer: Otherwise Lear himself will get there before him
- Regan is about to leave on a long journey
Lear warns that if Kent's diligence is not speedy, Lear will be there before him, which shows how quickly the king means to leave.
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3
Question 3. In the Fool's comparison, what are the two daughters as alike as?
- Correct answer: One crab apple and another crab apple
- Two oysters lying in the same shell
- A snail and the house it carries
- The seven stars that hang in the sky
The Fool says Regan will taste as like Goneril as a crab does to a crab, meaning she will be just as sour.
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4
Question 4. What does Lear ask about twice during the scene?
- Whether Goneril has sent anyone after him
- Correct answer: Whether his horses are ready for the journey
- Where Kent has gone with the letters
- How many of his knights are still with him
Lear asks 'Be my horses ready?' and later 'Are the horses ready?', a sign of his impatience to leave Goneril's house.
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5
Question 5. What point is the Fool making with the riddle about why a nose sits in the middle of a face?
- That a king should trust what his nose tells him over gossip
- That faces, like kingdoms, are best divided into equal parts
- Correct answer: That a man should use his eyes to see what he cannot smell out
- That Lear should keep his nose out of his daughters' affairs
The eyes sit on either side so that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into; the Fool is urging Lear to look clearly at what is happening.
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6
Question 6. What does the Fool say Lear would deserve if Lear were his fool?
- Correct answer: To be beaten for being old before his time
- To be sent away without his coat and his fool's cap
- To be locked out of the house in the cold
- To be given his kingdom back as a joke
The Fool says he would have Lear beaten for being old before his time, because he grew old before he grew wise.
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7
Question 7. What does Lear's line 'I will forget my nature. So kind a father!' suggest?
- He plans to give Goneril a second chance
- He has forgotten why he quarreled with Goneril
- He wants the Fool to be kinder to his daughters
- Correct answer: He is ready to stop acting as a loving father
Lear bitterly recalls how kind a father he was and vows to put aside his fatherly feelings toward the daughter who has wronged him.
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8
Question 8. Which of these events actually occur in Act 1, Scene 5?
- Lear tells Kent to share only what the letter prompts his daughter to ask.
  
  Happened
- Goneril comes out to beg Lear to stay.
  
  Didn't happen
- The Fool asks Lear how an oyster makes its shell.
  
  Happened
- Lear strikes the Fool for mocking him.
  
  Didn't happen
- A Gentleman reports that the horses are ready.
  
  Happened
- Kent reveals his true identity to the Fool.
  
  Didn't happen
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9
Question 9. What does 'kibes' mean in: 'If a man's brains were in's heels, were't not in danger of kibes?'
- Kicks from a horse
- Thorns on the road
- Holes worn through the soles of shoes
- Correct answer: Chilblains on the heels
Kibes are sore, cracked swellings on the heels caused by cold, which is why the Fool links them to brains in the heels.
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10
Question 10. What does 'perforce' mean in: 'To tak't again perforce! Monster ingratitude!'?
- Correct answer: By force or necessity
- Slowly and with great care
- In secret, by night
- With a written order
Perforce means by force or of necessity; Lear is brooding on what has been taken back by force.
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11
Question 11. What does 'temper' mean in: 'Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!'?
- Quick to anger
- In good humor and spirits
- Correct answer: Calm and mentally balanced
- Hard and strong like steel
Here temper means composure or a balanced mind, which is why Lear sets it against being mad.
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Next: King Lear, ACT II - Scene I.

Questions and answers

Question 1. Which character leaves the stage first in Act 1, Scene 5?

Question 2. Why does Lear tell Kent that he must be speedy?

Question 3. In the Fool's comparison, what are the two daughters as alike as?

Question 4. What does Lear ask about twice during the scene?

Question 5. What point is the Fool making with the riddle about why a nose sits in the middle of a face?

Question 6. What does the Fool say Lear would deserve if Lear were his fool?

Question 7. What does Lear's line 'I will forget my nature. So kind a father!' suggest?

Question 8. Which of these events actually occur in Act 1, Scene 5?

Question 9. What does 'kibes' mean in: 'If a man's brains were in's heels, were't not in danger of kibes?'

Question 10. What does 'perforce' mean in: 'To tak't again perforce! Monster ingratitude!'?

Question 11. What does 'temper' mean in: 'Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!'?