Romeo and Juliet, ACT IV - Scene V quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who first discovers Juliet appearing to be dead?

   • Lord Capulet
   • Friar Laurence
   • Lady Capulet
   • Correct answer: The Nurse

   The Nurse enters Juliet's chamber to wake her for the wedding and is the first to discover her apparently lifeless body.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. What event was planned for the morning Juliet is found dead?

   • Romeo's trial before the Prince
   • A masquerade ball
   • Correct answer: Her wedding to Count Paris
   • A family reconciliation feast

   The entire household was preparing for Juliet's wedding to Count Paris. The Nurse came to wake and dress her for the ceremony.

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. How does Lord Capulet personify Death in this scene?

   • Correct answer: As a bridegroom who married and deflowered Juliet
   • As a soldier who struck down his only child in battle
   • As a judge who passed an unjust sentence upon Juliet
   • As a thief who crept in and stole his dearest treasure

   Capulet says "Death is my son-in-law, Death is my heir" and describes Death as having "lain with" and "deflowered" Juliet, casting Death as a rival bridegroom.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. What does Friar Laurence tell the family to place on Juliet's body?

   • White lilies
   • Correct answer: Rosemary
   • A wedding veil
   • A crucifix

   The Friar tells them to "stick your rosemary on this fair corse," as rosemary was a traditional herb used at both weddings and funerals to symbolize remembrance.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What simile does Capulet use to describe Juliet's death?

   • A book whose final chapter was torn away
   • A candle snuffed out by a sudden gust of wind
   • Correct answer: An untimely frost upon the sweetest flower
   • A ship wrecked upon the rocks before reaching port

   Capulet says "Death lies on her like an untimely frost / Upon the sweetest flower of all the field," comparing her premature death to frost killing the most beautiful flower.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. What song does Peter ask the musicians to play?

   • "My Heart Is Full of Woe"
   • Correct answer: "Heart's Ease"
   • "Silver Sound"
   • "When Griping Grief"

   Peter begs the musicians to play "Heart's Ease," saying "O, an you will have me live, play 'Heart's ease.'" He mentions that his own heart plays "My heart is full of woe."

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. What are the musicians' names and what do they reference?

   • Correct answer: Simon Catling, Hugh Rebeck, James Soundpost — musical instrument parts
   • Simon Catling, Hugh Rebeck, James Soundpost — ordinary English names
   • Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio — young men who crashed the Capulet feast
   • Sampson, Gregory, Abram — servants who fought in the opening brawl

   Simon Catling (catgut string), Hugh Rebeck (a bowed instrument), and James Soundpost (a structural piece inside a stringed instrument) — each name refers to a component of musical instruments.

   Read the passage
8. 8

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

   • Lady Capulet is the first person to discover that Juliet appears to be dead.

     Didn't happen

     The Nurse is the first to discover Juliet. She enters the chamber to wake Juliet for the wedding, draws aside the curtains, and raises the alarm. Lady Capulet arrives only after hearing the Nurse's cries.

   • Friar Laurence instructs the family to convert the wedding preparations into funeral arrangements.

     Happened

     Friar Laurence tells them to bear Juliet to church for burial and to follow the corpse to the grave. Capulet then explicitly catalogs how each wedding element will be converted to its funeral counterpart.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. What does the word "dirges" mean as used in Capulet's speech about reversing the wedding?

   • Religious hymns sung during Mass
   • Instrumental pieces played by court musicians
   • Lively dance tunes played at celebrations
   • Correct answer: Slow, mournful songs performed at funerals

   Dirges are slow, mournful songs or pieces of music performed at funerals. Capulet says "Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change," describing how wedding music must become funeral music.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What does "aqua vitae" refer to when the Nurse calls for it?

    • A medicinal herb used for reviving the unconscious
    • Perfumed water used in Elizabethan grooming
    • Holy water sprinkled by a priest as a blessing
    • Correct answer: A strong alcoholic spirit used as a restorative

    Aqua vitae literally means "water of life" in Latin and refers to a strong alcoholic drink. The Nurse calls for it as a restorative in her shock upon finding Juliet apparently dead.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What does "crotchets" mean when Peter says he will "carry no crotchets"?

    • Correct answer: Quarter notes in music; also whims or fancies
    • Wooden crutches used by the lame or injured
    • Hooked needles used for knitting lace
    • Written musical scores or sheet music

    Crotchets are quarter notes in music, but the word also means whims or eccentric notions. Peter puns on both meanings, saying he won't tolerate the musicians' fussy refusals while also playing on the musical terminology.

    Read the passage