Romeo and Juliet, ACT II - Scene III quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What is Friar Laurence doing at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3?

   • Praying at the altar of the monastery
   • Correct answer: Gathering herbs and flowers in a basket
   • Mixing a sleeping potion for Juliet
   • Preparing for a wedding ceremony

   The stage direction specifies that the Friar enters "alone, with a basket," and his soliloquy describes filling his "osier cage" with plants.

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2. 2

   Question 2. According to Friar Laurence's soliloquy, what dual properties does the small flower contain?

   • Love and hatred
   • Light and darkness
   • Beauty and ugliness
   • Correct answer: Poison and medicine

   The Friar says "Within the infant rind of this small flower / Poison hath residence, and medicine power," establishing the theme of duality.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Friar Laurence ultimately agree to marry Romeo and Juliet?

   • Correct answer: Because he believes the marriage may end the feud between the families
   • Because Juliet's father has already given permission
   • Because he believes Romeo's love for Juliet is deep and lasting
   • Because Romeo threatens to elope without his blessing

   The Friar states: "For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households' rancour to pure love."

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4. 4

   Question 4. Who does the Friar initially think Romeo has spent the night with?

   • Benvolio
   • Juliet
   • Correct answer: Rosaline
   • Mercutio

   When the Friar learns Romeo hasn't slept, he asks "God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline?" — showing he still believes Romeo is infatuated with her.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does the Friar mean when he says Romeo was "doting, not loving" on Rosaline?

   • Correct answer: Romeo's feelings for Rosaline were superficial infatuation, not genuine love
   • Romeo was pretending to love Rosaline to make Juliet jealous
   • Romeo's devotion to Rosaline was sincere, though she never returned it
   • Romeo had secretly proposed marriage to Rosaline before meeting Juliet

   The Friar distinguishes between doting (excessive, shallow affection) and true loving, suggesting Romeo's earlier feelings lacked depth.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What literary device is primarily represented by the Friar's meditation on poison and medicine in plants?

   • Onomatopoeia
   • Understatement
   • Correct answer: Foreshadowing
   • Hyperbole

   The Friar's discussion of plants containing both poison and medicine foreshadows the sleeping potion he will later give Juliet — a remedy that leads to tragedy.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What is the Friar's final piece of advice to Romeo in this scene?

   • "These violent delights have violent ends"
   • "Go hence; good night; and here stands all your state"
   • "Therefore love moderately: long love doth so"
   • Correct answer: "Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast"

   This closing couplet warns Romeo against haste and foreshadows the tragic consequences of the lovers' impulsive decisions throughout the play.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • True or False: In this scene, Romeo tells Friar Laurence that Juliet does not yet know of his feelings.

     Didn't happen

     Romeo tells the Friar that Juliet reciprocates his love: "As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine." They have already met, wooed, and "made exchange of vow."

   • True or False: Friar Laurence criticizes Romeo for abandoning his love for Rosaline so quickly.

     Happened

     The Friar rebukes Romeo at length, saying "Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken?" and "Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."

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9. 9

   Question 9. In the Friar's line "I must up-fill this osier cage of ours," what does "osier cage" mean?

   • An iron enclosure for keeping songbirds
   • Correct answer: A wicker basket made from willow branches
   • A stone vessel for medicines and potions
   • A wooden container for gardening equipment

   "Osier" refers to a type of willow tree whose flexible branches are used to weave baskets. The Friar is filling his wicker basket with herbs.

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10. 10

    Question 10. When Romeo calls the Friar his "ghostly father," what does "ghostly" mean in this context?

    • Elderly, wrinkled and wizened
    • Like a ghost; eerie and frightening
    • Pale and sickly in appearance
    • Correct answer: Spiritual; relating to the soul

    In Elizabethan English, "ghostly" meant spiritual. A "ghostly father" is a spiritual father or confessor — a priest who hears confessions and provides spiritual guidance.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "mickle" mean in the Friar's line "O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies / In plants, herbs, stones"?

    • Dangerous or threatening
    • Small or insignificant
    • Correct answer: Great or much
    • Hidden or secret

    "Mickle" is an archaic word meaning great, much, or a large amount. The Friar is saying there is great power contained in natural things like plants and stones.

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