Romeo and Juliet, ACT II - Scene II quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Romeo compare Juliet to in his opening soliloquy?

   • A candle
   • The moon
   • Correct answer: The sun
   • A star

   Romeo says "It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!" comparing her to the rising sun that outshines the envious moon.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Juliet mean when she says "wherefore art thou Romeo"?

   • How did you get here, Romeo?
   • When will you come, Romeo?
   • Where are you hiding, Romeo?
   • Correct answer: Why are you Romeo (a Montague)?

   "Wherefore" means "why," not "where." Juliet is lamenting that the man she loves bears the name of her family's enemy.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Who first suggests the idea of marriage in the balcony scene?

   • Romeo
   • Correct answer: Juliet
   • The Nurse
   • Friar Laurence

   Juliet tells Romeo: "If that thy bent of love be honourable, / Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow." She sets the terms and timeline.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Juliet tell Romeo not to swear by the moon?

   • Correct answer: The moon is inconstant and changes monthly
   • Swearing by the moon is considered blasphemous
   • The moon reminds her of the Montague family crest
   • The moon is associated with bad luck

   Juliet says "O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon, / That monthly changes in her circled orb, / Lest that thy love prove likewise variable."

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5. 5

   Question 5. Where does Romeo plan to go after leaving the Capulet orchard?

   • Correct answer: To Friar Laurence's cell
   • To Benvolio's house
   • Back to the Capulet feast
   • To his own home

   Romeo says "Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell, / His help to crave and my dear hap to tell," referring to Friar Laurence.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does the "envious moon" symbolize in Romeo's soliloquy?

   • Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet
   • Correct answer: The goddess Diana and virginity
   • The feud between the families
   • The passing hours of the night

   The moon alludes to Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity. Romeo urges Juliet to "cast off" the moon's "vestal livery" — her virginity.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What animal does Juliet compare Romeo to near the end of the scene?

   • A lamb (a gentle pet)
   • A cat (prince of cats)
   • A dog (a hunting hound)
   • Correct answer: A bird (tassel-gentle)

   Juliet compares Romeo to a falconer's bird ("tassel-gentle") that she would keep on a silk thread, pulling it back each time it hops away.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What famous oxymoron does Juliet use when saying goodbye to Romeo?

   • "Loving hate"
   • "Living death"
   • Correct answer: "Sweet sorrow"
   • "Cold fire"

   Juliet says "Parting is such sweet sorrow, / That I shall say good night till it be morrow" — combining pleasure and pain in a single phrase.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What time does Juliet say she will send her messenger to Romeo?

   • Correct answer: By the hour of nine
   • By the stroke of noon
   • At the hour of midnight
   • At the break of dawn

   When Juliet asks what time she should send her messenger, Romeo replies "By the hour of nine," and Juliet promises "I will not fail."

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • Romeo and Juliet kiss during the balcony scene.

      Didn't happen

      Romeo and Juliet do not kiss in Act 2, Scene 2. They are physically separated — Juliet is above at a window while Romeo stands below in the orchard. Their first kiss occurred at the Capulet feast in Act 1, Scene 5.

    • Juliet warns Romeo that her kinsmen will kill him if they find him in the orchard.

      Happened

      Juliet tells Romeo: "If they do see thee, they will murther thee" and warns that "the place death, considering who thou art, / If any of my kinsmen find thee here."

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11. 11

    Question 11. In the line "My life were better ended by their hate / Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love," what does "prorogued" mean?

    • Caused
    • Punished
    • Prevented
    • Correct answer: Postponed

    "Prorogued" means postponed or deferred. Romeo is saying he would rather die now than have death merely delayed while living without Juliet's love.

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12. 12

    Question 12. When Juliet says "In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond," what does "fond" mean in Elizabethan English?

    • Cold and distant in manner
    • Having a gentle liking or taste for
    • Correct answer: Foolishly affectionate or doting
    • Wise and sensible in judgment

    In Elizabethan usage, "fond" meant foolishly tender or excessively affectionate. Juliet is acknowledging that she may appear too eager in expressing her love.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What is a "tassel-gentle" as Juliet uses the term?

    • A gentle summer breeze
    • Correct answer: A male peregrine falcon
    • A small caged songbird
    • A tuft of silk threads

    A tassel-gentle (tercel gentle) is a male peregrine falcon prized in falconry. Juliet uses it as an affectionate term for Romeo, wishing she could call him back like a falconer luring her bird.

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