Romeo and Juliet, ACT V - Scene III quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Paris come to the Capulet tomb at the beginning of Act V, Scene III?

   • To take a precious ring from Juliet's finger
   • To meet secretly with Friar Laurence at the vault
   • To confront Romeo, whom he blames for Juliet's death
   • Correct answer: To strew flowers on Juliet's grave and mourn her

   Paris arrives with flowers and his page to perform funeral rites at Juliet's grave, pledging to return nightly to weep and decorate her tomb.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Romeo give Balthasar before entering the tomb?

   • His dagger, to keep him from doing himself harm
   • A vial of poison to destroy after Romeo's death
   • Correct answer: A letter to be delivered to Lord Montague in the morning
   • A precious ring to be returned to Juliet's family

   Romeo gives Balthasar a letter for Lord Montague, telling him to deliver it "early in the morning." The letter later confirms the Friar's account of events.

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3. 3

   Question 3. How does Romeo respond when Paris tries to arrest him?

   • He surrenders and agrees to go with Paris peacefully
   • Correct answer: He pleads with Paris to leave, warning he is a desperate man
   • He tries to bribe Paris with gold to let him pass
   • He attacks Paris at once, without a word of warning

   Romeo repeatedly urges Paris to leave, saying "Good gentle youth, tempt not a desp'rate man" and "I love thee better than myself." Paris refuses, and they fight.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Romeo observe about Juliet's appearance in the tomb that is actually a sign she is alive?

   • Correct answer: Her lips and cheeks are still crimson
   • She appears to be breathing faintly
   • Her eyes are open and appear to follow him
   • Her body is warm to the touch

   Romeo notices "Beauty's ensign yet / Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks" but interprets this as death's failure to conquer her beauty rather than recognizing she is alive.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Romeo call the Capulet tomb in his extended metaphor before opening it?

   • Correct answer: A detestable maw and womb of death
   • An ancient receptacle of buried bones
   • A dim monument where Tybalt lies
   • A nest of death and unnatural sleep

   Romeo personifies the tomb as "Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, / Gorg'd with the dearest morsel of the earth," imagining it as a voracious creature he must force open.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Friar Laurence offer to do with Juliet when she wakes and finds Romeo dead?

   • Arrange her marriage to another nobleman
   • Help her escape to Mantua to start a new life
   • Return her to the Capulet household
   • Correct answer: Place her among a sisterhood of holy nuns

   The Friar says "Come, I'll dispose of thee / Among a sisterhood of holy nuns," but flees when the Watch approaches, leaving Juliet alone with the dead.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Juliet kiss Romeo's lips after finding him dead?

   • To check if he is truly dead or merely unconscious
   • Correct answer: Hoping residual poison on his lips will kill her too
   • To fulfill the marriage vow "till death do us part"
   • As a final gesture of love before accepting her fate

   Juliet says "Haply some poison yet doth hang on them / To make me die with a restorative," hoping to absorb enough poison from his lips to die. When this fails, she uses his dagger.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What news does Lord Montague bring when he arrives at the tomb?

   • The Montague household has been attacked by Capulet forces
   • He has already read Romeo's farewell letter
   • Correct answer: Lady Montague has died of grief over Romeo's exile
   • The Prince has pardoned Romeo's banishment

   Montague reveals that his wife has died that night: "Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath," adding a fourth death to the scene's already devastating toll.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does the Prince mean when he says he has lost "a brace of kinsmen"?

   • Two kinsmen: Benvolio and Mercutio
   • Two kinsmen: Tybalt and Paris
   • Correct answer: Two kinsmen: Mercutio and Paris
   • Two kinsmen: Romeo and Mercutio

   A "brace" means a pair. The Prince's kinsmen who died are Mercutio (killed by Tybalt in Act III) and Paris (killed by Romeo in this scene). Both were related to the Prince.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What do Montague and Capulet pledge to do in honor of the dead lovers?

    • Correct answer: Raise golden statues of Romeo and Juliet
    • Rename Verona's main church after the lovers
    • Establish a charitable fund for young couples
    • Build a shared mausoleum for both families

    Montague promises to raise a statue of Juliet in pure gold, and Capulet promises an equally rich statue of Romeo. These golden monuments symbolize the costly peace their deaths have purchased.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • Balthasar obeys Romeo and leaves the churchyard entirely after being dismissed.

      Didn't happen

      Balthasar says in an aside, "For all this same, I'll hide me hereabout. / His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt." He stays hidden nearby rather than leaving, and is later found by the Watch.

    • Romeo lays Paris's body inside the Capulet tomb after killing him.

      Happened

      Paris's dying request is "Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet." Romeo honors this, saying "I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave" and placing Paris inside the tomb before his own final soliloquy.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "obsequies" mean as Paris uses it in the scene?

    • Loud protests or angry objections
    • Formal preparations for a wedding
    • Acts of flattery or eager obedience
    • Correct answer: Funeral rites or ceremonies for the dead

    Obsequies are funeral rites. Paris says "The obsequies that I for thee will keep / Nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep," describing his planned mourning rituals for Juliet.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does "inauspicious" mean in Romeo's line "shake the yoke of inauspicious stars"?

    • Extremely bright or radiant
    • Correct answer: Unfavorable or suggesting bad fortune
    • Invisible or hidden from view
    • Ancient or belonging to the distant past

    Inauspicious means unpromising or ill-omened. Romeo blames the stars (fate) for his misfortune and declares he will free himself from their unfavorable influence through death.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does "sepulchre" mean as used in the scene?

    • Correct answer: A stone tomb or burial chamber
    • A courtyard in a nobleman's estate
    • A religious altar or shrine
    • A decorative stone archway

    A sepulchre is a stone tomb or burial chamber. The Friar asks "What blood is this which stains / The stony entrance of this sepulchre?" upon finding the bloody evidence of the fight outside the tomb.

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