King Lear, ACT IV - Scene V. quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Whose letter is Oswald carrying when Regan stops him?

   • A letter from Albany to the King of France
   • Correct answer: A letter from Goneril to Edmund
   • A letter from Edmund to Goneril about the troops
   • A letter from Cornwall's officers to Regan

   Regan asks what might import her sister's letter to him, meaning Goneril's letter to Edmund.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Oswald report about the way Albany led out his forces?

   • He marched eagerly and ahead of schedule
   • He refused outright to march at all
   • Correct answer: He went in person, but only with much ado
   • He sent Edmund to lead the troops instead

   Oswald says Albany went himself, but with much ado, and that Goneril is the better soldier.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Regan say it was 'great ignorance' to let Gloucester live?

   • He might still identify the servants who blinded him
   • He could reclaim his castle and his lands from Edmund
   • Correct answer: Wherever he goes he turns people's hearts against her side
   • He knows where Lear is hiding and might report it

   Regan says that where he arrives he moves all hearts against us, so his survival is a political danger.

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4. 4

   Question 4. According to Regan, what two errands has Edmund gone on?

   • Correct answer: To kill Gloucester and to scout the enemy's strength
   • To fetch Goneril and to gather more of Albany's soldiers
   • To meet Cordelia and to arrange a truce with the French
   • To find Lear and to bring him back to the castle

   Regan says Edmund has gone to dispatch Gloucester's nighted life and to descry the strength of the enemy.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What reason does Regan first give for wanting Oswald to stay?

   • She needs him to carry orders to her own army
   • Correct answer: Her troops set forth tomorrow and the roads are dangerous
   • She wants him to guard the blinded Gloucester for her tonight
   • Goneril has written asking her to keep him at the castle

   Regan says her troops set forth tomorrow and the ways are dangerous, though she really wants to stop the letter.

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Oswald answer when Regan asks to unseal the letter?

   • He hands it over after she offers him a reward
   • He tears the letter up so no one can read it
   • He reads the letter aloud to Regan himself
   • Correct answer: He hesitates and resists, saying he had rather not

   Oswald begins Madam, I had rather and resists, because his lady charged his duty in this business.

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7. 7

   Question 7. On what grounds does Regan claim Edmund is better suited to her than to Goneril?

   • Correct answer: Her husband is dead and she and Edmund have talked
   • Edmund has already written her a formal proposal
   • Lear promised her Edmund's hand in the opening scene
   • Goneril has openly given up any interest in Edmund

   Regan says My lord is dead and that she and Edmund have talked, so he is more convenient for her hand.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Regan promise to whoever kills Gloucester?

   • Gloucester's castle and all his former lands
   • Correct answer: Preferment, meaning promotion or advancement
   • A place at her side in the coming battle
   • A pardon for any crimes committed in the war

   She says preferment falls on him that cuts him off, offering advancement to Gloucester's killer.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually occur in Act 4, Scene 5?

   • Regan asks Oswald to let her unseal Goneril's letter.

     Happened

   • Oswald gives the letter to Regan to read.

     Didn't happen

   • Regan tells Oswald that her husband is dead.

     Happened

   • Edmund returns to the castle and speaks with Regan.

     Didn't happen

   • Oswald says he would show what party he follows if he met Gloucester.

     Happened

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these statements about Regan's words in this scene are accurate?

    • She accuses Goneril of giving Edmund meaningful looks.

      Happened

    • She says she will lead her troops out that very night.

      Didn't happen

    • She sends a warning for Goneril to call her wisdom to her.

      Happened

    • She says she pities Gloucester and wishes him well.

      Didn't happen

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'descry' mean in Regan's line: 'moreover, to descry The strength o' th' enemy'?

    • To attack without warning
    • Correct answer: To discover by looking carefully
    • To write down in a report
    • To exaggerate or overstate

    Descry means to discover or make out by careful looking; Edmund is scouting the enemy's strength.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'Preferment' mean in: 'Preferment falls on him that cuts him off'?

    • Punishment by the law
    • A preference in taste
    • Correct answer: Promotion or advancement
    • A formal written warning

    Preferment means advancement to a higher rank; Regan offers it as a reward for killing Gloucester.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'nighted' suggest in Regan's phrase 'to dispatch His nighted life'?

    • Spent mostly in sleep
    • Marked by nightly crimes
    • Lived in secret and hiding
    • Correct answer: Darkened, that is, blinded

    Nighted means darkened as if by night, a reference to Gloucester's blindness.

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