King Lear, ACT III - Scene IV. quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Lear at first refuse to enter the hovel?

   • He fears that Goneril's servants are hiding inside it
   • Correct answer: The storm in his mind makes the outer storm hardly felt
   • He wants to wait until Gloucester arrives with a torch
   • He believes a king should never shelter in a beggar's hut

   Lear says that where the greater malady is fixed the lesser is scarce felt, and the tempest in his mind takes all other feeling away.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Lear do just before he hears Poor Tom cry out from the hovel?

   • He curses the storm and orders the thunder to stop raging
   • He asks Kent to carry the latest news from Dover to him
   • Correct answer: He prays and thinks about the homeless poor of his realm
   • He falls asleep against the wall of the hovel

   After sending the Fool in, Lear says he will pray and then speaks of the poor naked wretches he took too little care of.

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3. 3

   Question 3. In Lear's comparison, what is filial ingratitude like?

   • Correct answer: A mouth that tears the hand that lifts food to it
   • A bear that a man meets while fleeing from the sea
   • A plague that hangs in the air above guilty men
   • A fire in a wild field that warms only one man

   Lear asks whether ingratitude is not as if this mouth should tear this hand for lifting food to it.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does the Fool say about Poor Tom's blanket?

   • That Tom stole it from a sleeping traveler on the road
   • That Tom should give it to the king to keep him warm
   • That the foul fiend tore it from Tom the night before
   • Correct answer: That Tom kept it, or else they would all have been shamed

   When Lear asks if Tom gave everything away, the Fool jokes that he reserved a blanket, else we had been all shamed, since Tom would be fully naked.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Lear conclude after looking closely at Poor Tom?

   • That Tom is a spy whom Regan has sent out to watch over him
   • Correct answer: That without borrowed comforts man is only a bare, forked animal
   • That Tom is really a nobleman in hiding from powerful enemies
   • That the gods have punished Tom for the many sins of his youth

   Lear tells Tom that unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art, then tears at his own clothes.

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Gloucester explain coming out to find Lear?

   • Correct answer: His duty will not let him obey the daughters' hard commands
   • Edmund has told him where the king was last seen walking
   • Cornwall has ordered him to bring the king back to the castle
   • Kent sent him a letter asking for help on the heath

   Gloucester says his duty cannot suffer him to obey the daughters' order to bar his doors, so he ventured out to bring Lear to fire and food.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why is Gloucester's talk about his son especially ironic in this scene?

   • Edmund, the son he mourns, has just walked in with a torch
   • Gloucester is speaking to Lear, who has also lost a son
   • Correct answer: Edgar, the son he thinks sought his life, stands right beside him
   • Kent, who is listening, is secretly Gloucester's own son

   Gloucester grieves for the outlawed son who he believes sought his life, not knowing that son is Poor Tom, shivering a few feet away.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happen in Act 3, Scene 4?

   • The Fool runs out of the hovel crying that there is a spirit inside.

     Happened

   • Lear recognizes Edgar and begs his forgiveness.

     Didn't happen

   • Lear calls Kent a traitor for saying Tom has no daughters.

     Happened

   • Gloucester tells Lear that Edmund has betrayed them both.

     Didn't happen

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these details are true of the scene?

   • Poor Tom describes himself as a former proud servingman.

     Happened

   • Kent reveals his true identity to Gloucester.

     Didn't happen

   • Lear insists on keeping Poor Tom with him as they go in.

     Happened

   • Lear asks Poor Tom what is the cause of thunder.

     Happened

   • Gloucester leads the group back to Goneril's palace.

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'superflux' mean as used in: 'That thou mayst shake the superflux to them / And show the heavens more just'?

    • A sudden flood of tears or strong feeling
    • Correct answer: Extra wealth beyond what a person needs
    • A heavy cloak worn by rulers in winter
    • The anger that the heavens show to men

    Superflux means a surplus; Lear says the powerful should give their excess to the poor.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'unaccommodated' mean in: 'unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art'?

    • Unwilling to agree with the opinions of others
    • Not invited to stay in a house as a guest
    • Correct answer: Lacking the clothing and comforts of civilization
    • Unable to adjust quickly to sudden changes of fortune

    Unaccommodated means without the supplies and coverings civilization provides, which is why Lear sees Tom as the thing itself.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'importune' mean in Kent's line: 'Importune him once more to go, my lord'?

    • Correct answer: Urge or beg him again
    • Pay him for his trouble
    • Order him to be arrested
    • Excuse him from his duty

    Importune means to urge persistently; Kent asks Gloucester to press Lear once more to go inside.

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