11 English Shakespeare

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Contents: Comprehension 1: Romeo & Juliet 7 pages

Comprehension 2: Macbeth 7 pages
Answer Sheets 2 pages
Answers 12 pages
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www.exampapersplus.co.uk © 11+ English, Shakespeare, Comprehension 1: Romeo & Juliet
11+ English
Shakespeare
Comprehension 1: Romeo & Juliet
15 minutes
11 marks
• This test contains a passage to read followed by some questions about it.
• Read each question carefully.
• You can look back at the passage to check your answers as many times
as you need.
• This is a multiple-choice test. Mark your answer to each question on the
answer sheet.
• Work as quickly and as carefully as you can.
Read this passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet are in love and have just got married secretly, against
the will of their two rival families. In this extract, Juliet waits in her
chamber for Romeo so that they can celebrate their wedding night.
Act III Scene II
JULIET O, here comes my nurse,

And she brings news, and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo’s name speaks heavenly eloquence—
Enter NURSE with cords.
Now, nurse, what news? What hast thou there? The cords*
That Romeo bid thee fetch? 5
NURSE Ay, ay, the cords. [Throws them down.]
JULIET Ay me, what news? Why dost thou wring thy hands?
NURSE Ah well-a-day, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!

We are undone, lady, we are undone!
Alack the day! He’s gone, he’s killed, he’s dead! 10
JULIET Can heaven be so envious?
NURSE Romeo can,

Though heaven cannot. O Romeo, Romeo!
Whoever would have thought it? Romeo!
Page 2 Please go on to the next page >>>

JULIET What devil art thou that dost torment me thus? 15

This torture should be roared in dismal hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself? Say thou but ‘ay’,
And that bare vowel ‘I’ shall poison more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice**.
I am not I if there be such an ‘I’, 20
Or those eyes shut that makes thee answer ‘I’.
If he be slain, say ‘I’, or if not, ‘No’.
Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe.
NURSE I saw the wound. I saw it with mine eyes, –

(God save the mark!) here on his manly breast— 25
A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse,
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaubed in blood,
All in gore blood. I swoonèd at the sight.
JULIET O break, my heart! Poor bankrupt, break at once!

To prison, eyes; ne’er look on liberty! 30
Vile earth to earth resign; end motion here,
And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier.
NURSE O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had!

O courteous Tybalt! Honest gentleman,
That ever I should live to see thee dead! 35
JULIET What storm is this that blows so contrary?

Is Romeo slaughtered and is Tybalt dead?
My dear-loved cousin, and my dearer lord?
Then, dreadful trumpet, sound the general doom,
For who is living if those two are gone? 40
NURSE Tybalt is gone and Romeo banishèd.

Romeo that killed him—he is banishèd.

* cords – rope ladder

** cockatrice – a legendary serpent with a deadly gaze
Answer these questions by choosing the best answer and marking its letter on the
answer sheet.
Look at the passage again if you need to.
1 Why do you think the nurse has brought a rope ladder

with her?
A so that the nurse can escape from the house

B so that Juliet can escape from the house
C so that Romeo can climb up to Juliet’s chamber
D so that Tybalt can climb up to Juliet’s chamber
E so that Romeo can escape from the house
2 In line 7, Juliet asks the nurse, ‘Why dost thou wring

thy hands?’
What is the nurse doing with her hands?
A She is stroking her hands because the rope ladder has hurt them.
B She is clasping and twisting her hands in distress.
C She is rubbing her hands together because she is cold.
D She is begging for mercy from her mistress, Juliet.
E She is praying to God that Romeo is not dead.

3 Say thou but ‘ay’,

And that bare vowel ‘I’ shall poison more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice. (lines 17–19)
What do these lines mean?
A If the nurse confirms Romeo’s death, Juliet will be overwhelmed

with grief.
B The nurse has been poisoned by a cockatrice.
C If the nurse says ‘ay’, then Juliet will know she is in great pain.
D Juliet has taken some poison to get sympathy from Romeo.
E If the nurse says ‘ay’, Juliet will poison the cockatrice.
4 What is the meaning of ‘weal or woe’ (line 23)?
A friend or foe
B life or death
C sadness or misery
D happiness or fun
E joy or pain
5 To prison, eyes; ne’er look on liberty! (line 30)
Why does Juliet say this?
A She would rather go to prison that be free.

B She is bankrupt and knows she must go to prison.
C Her blindness has taken away her freedom.
D She is so distraught, she cannot bear to face life.
E Her eyes are hurting from all the tears she has shed.

6 When do we realise that the nurse has misled Juliet about who
has died?
A lines 25–26
B lines 33–35
C lines 29–30
D lines 39–40
E lines 27–28
7 Who is Tybalt?
A Juliet’s cousin
B Romeo’s brother
C the nurse’s uncle
D Juliet’s father
E Romeo’s cousin
8 Vile earth to earth resign; end motion here (line 31)
What does Juliet mean here?
A She is asking the nurse to stop telling her bad news.

B She is so miserable that she wants to die.
C She has decided to stop moving.
D She is asking the earth to stop moving.
E She is desperate to move on with her life.

9 What do we find out from the nurse in the last two lines of
the extract?
A Tybalt has killed Romeo and has been banished.

B Tybalt has run off and Romeo has been banished.
C Romeo has run off and Tybalt has been banished.
D Tybalt has been banished for betraying Romeo.
E Romeo has killed Tybalt and has been banished.
10 What is another word for ‘slaughtered’ in line 37?
A escaped
B alive
C imprisoned
D killed
E injured
11 What storm is this that blows so contrary? (line 36)
Juliet means, ‘What storm is this that causes so many

different disasters?’
Which literary techniques are used here?
A simile and hyperbole

B personification and irony
C metaphor and a rhetorical question
D alliteration and hyperbole
E assonance and a rhetorical question
Page 7 END OF TEST

www.exampapersplus.co.uk © 11+ English, Shakespeare, Comprehension 2: Macbeth
11+ English
Shakespeare
Comprehension 2: Macbeth
15 minutes
11 marks
• This test contains a passage to read followed by some questions about it.
• Read each question carefully.
• You can look back at the passage to check your answers as many times
as you need.
• This is a multiple-choice test. Mark your answer to each question on the
answer sheet.
• Work as quickly and as carefully as you can.
Read this passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
Macbeth
In this extract, Macbeth is having doubts about his plans to kill
King Duncan.
Act I Scene VII
The Same. A Room in the Castle.
Hautboys* and torches. Enter, and pass over the stage, a Sewer**, and divers
Servants with dishes and service. Then, enter MACBETH.
MACBETH If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well

It were done quickly; if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here, 5
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We’d jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor; this even-handed justice 10
Commends the ingredients of our poison’d chalice
To our own lips. He’s here in double trust:
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door, 15
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels trumpet-tongu’d against

The deep damnation of his taking-off; 20

And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin, hors’d
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur 25
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o’er-leaps itself
And falls on the other.—
Enter LADY MACBETH
How now! what news?
LADY MACBETH He has almost supp’d: why have you left the chamber? 30
MACBETH Hath he ask’d for me?
LADY MACBETH Know you not he has?
MACBETH We will proceed no further in this business:

He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people, 35
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
*Hautboy – a type of musical instrument, similar to an oboe

**Sewer – chief servant

Answer these questions by choosing the best answer and marking its letter on the
answer sheet.
Look at the passage again if you need to.
1 What is the ‘it’ that Macbeth is referring to in lines 1 and 2?
A murdering Duncan
B the meal that the servants are preparing
C Lady Macbeth’s gown
D the dishes on the banquet table
E the hautboys and torches
2 What do you think the first two lines mean?
A The deed has been done and been done well.

B Once it is done, there’s no going back.
C If he’s going to do it, then better to do it soon.
D If he’s going to do it, he should think carefully about it.
E If a job’s worth doing, it is worth doing well.

3 What does Macbeth mean by ‘He’s here in double trust’

(line 12)?
A Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both Macbeth’s subject

and friend.
B Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both a king and
a murderer.
C Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both Duncan’s subject and
his host.
D Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both a king and honest.
E Macbeth trusts Duncan because he is both untrustworthy
and hostile.
4 How does Macbeth feel he should behave towards Duncan?
A He should serve him exquisite food.

B He should shut the door on him.
C He should threaten him with a knife.
D He should protect him from being murdered.
E He should assassinate him.
5 What does ‘trumpet-tongu’d’ (line 19) mean?
A all together
B loudly
C musically
D tongue-tied
E imaginative

6 Which literary technique is used in line 20?
A personification
B onomatopoeia
C simile
D pathetic fallacy
E alliteration
7 What do lines 21–25 tell us about Macbeth?
A He is feeling remorse before he even commits the murder.

B He is justifying his reasons for committing the murder.
C He appreciates that murdering Duncan will make him unpopular.
D He is worried God will not forgive him for murdering Duncan.
E He is callous and pitiless, determined to murder Duncan.
8 So clear in his great office, that his virtues

Will plead like angels (lines 18–19)
Which two literary techniques are used in these lines?
A alliteration and personification

B personification and simile
C simile and metaphor
D onomatopoeia and alliteration
E personification and pathetic fallacy

9 When Lady Macbeth enters, there is a series of questions

between her and her husband.
What atmosphere does this create?
A confusion, as neither one of them knows what is going on

B a sense of light relief after Macbeth’s dark thoughts
C a sense of nervous tension and urgency
D humour to engage the audience
E a sense of mystery to confuse the audience
10 What does the word ‘supp’d’ mean in line 30?
A finished
B fallen asleep
C suspected
D eaten
E retired
11 What do lines 33–37 tell us about Macbeth?
A He has decided to bring the murder forward.

B He wants Lady Macbeth to buy a new wardrobe of clothes.
C He is boasting that Duncan looks up to him.
D He likes to be well-regarded by others.
E He has come to the conclusion that he will not murder Duncan.
Page 7 END OF TEST

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Answer Sheets

Please mark boxes with a thin horizontal line like this .
__________________________________________________
1 2 3 4 5
A A A A A
B B B B B
C C C C C
D D D D D
E E E E E
6 7 8 9 10
A A A A A
B B B B B
C C C C C
D D D D D
E E E E E
11
A
B
C
D
E
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Please mark boxes with a thin horizontal line like this .
__________________________________________________
1 2 3 4 5
A A A A A
B B B B B
C C C C C
D D D D D
E E E E E
6 7 8 9 10
A A A A A
B B B B B
C C C C C
D D D D D
E E E E E
11
A
B
C
D
E
www.exampapersplus.co.uk © 11+ English, Shakespeare, Answers and Explanations, Page 1
Answers and Explanations
1 C so that Romeo can climb up to Juliet’s chamber
Don’t worry if you don’t understand each and every word that
Shakespeare wrote. Based on the words and phrases that you do
understand, you can usually piece together the gist of what is happening.
Here is an approximate translation of lines 4–5:
Now then nurse, what news do you have? What have you got there?
Is that the rope ladder that Romeo asked you to fetch?
The meaning of cords – rope ladder – is given in the footnote at the end
of the extract.
In the introduction, we learn that Romeo and Juliet have married in

secret and that Juliet is in her chamber waiting for Romeo. Line 5 tells
us that it was Romeo who requested the rope ladder. The only plausible
reason for this is to allow him to climb up to Juliet’s chamber; he
cannot come through the main door, as he would be seen.
Therefore, C is the correct answer.

2 B She is clasping and twisting her hands in distress.
Here is an approximate translation of line 7:
Oh no, what news do you have? Why are you wringing your hands?
The phrase dost thou means ‘do you’ and thy means ‘you’.
When the nurse responds, she is clearly distressed, referring to

someone as yet unknown: ‘he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!’
Wringing your hands is a gesture that shows great anguish or upset.
Therefore, B is the correct answer.
3 A If the nurse confirms Romeo’s death, Juliet will be overwhelmed

with grief.
Has Romeo killed himself? Just say ‘yes’

And that single word will hurt me more
Than the deadly gaze of a cockatrice.
The meaning of cockatrice – a legendary serpent with a deadly gaze –

is given in the footnote at the end of the extract.
Juliet is saying that if the nurse answers ‘yes’, confirming that Romeo is
definitely dead, then she will feel more pain than if the deadly gaze of a
cockatrice fell upon her.
Therefore, A is the correct answer.

4 E joy or pain
Referring back to ‘I’ (meaning yes) and ‘No’ in line 22, Juliet is saying
that those short words will determine whether she feels joy or great
sadness (pain).
You should recognise the word woe, meaning great sadness, and
should be able to deduce from the context that weal must mean
the opposite.
Read the five answer options carefully to find the one that best fits. The
correct answer is E.
5 D She is so distraught, she cannot bear to face life.
Juliet is heartbroken (‘O break, my heart! Poor bankrupt, break at

once!’), believing that Romeo is dead.
She uses a metaphor – telling her eyes to go to prison so that they will
not be ‘free’ to look at the world – to show that she does not want to
face life now that her beloved Romeo has gone.
Therefore, D is the correct answer.

6 B lines 33–35
Oh Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I’ve ever had!

Well-mannered Tybalt! An honest gentleman,
I can’t believe that you are dead!
Up until this point, the nurse has led us – and Juliet – to believe that it
is Romeo who is dead. When she first announces, ‘Ah well-a-day, he’s
dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!’ (line 8), the assumption is that it is Romeo
she is talking about, because it is Romeo, her beloved husband, who
Juliet is waiting for.
The nurse does not correct Juliet when Juliet says, ‘Hath Romeo slain
himself?’ (line 17), nor when she says that she would share a coffin
with Romeo (line 32).
Then, in saying, ‘O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had?’, it becomes

apparent that all is not as it seemed – it is Tybalt whom the nurse has
been talking about.
7 A Juliet’s cousin
Juliet says, ‘Is Romeo slaughtered and is Tybalt dead? My dear-loved

cousin, and my dearer lord?’ (lines 37–38).
This might be confusing, as you might expect cousin to refer to Romeo

as this this comes before my dearer lord, and Romeo is mentioned
before Tybalt in the preceding line. However, my dearer lord tells us
that Juliet is referring to Romeo, who is her dearer love, so her dear-
loved cousin can only be Tybalt.

8 B She is so miserable that she wants to die.
Here is an approximate translation of line 31:
Awful Earth, I shall be buried in the earth; my life is over.
This is a play on words, as earth can have different meanings. Juliet is

saying that she will leave the vile earth (world) and be buried in the
earth (ground). The phrase end motion here means that she will be
completely still because her heart will stop beating – she cannot bear to
live without Romeo.
9 E Romeo has killed Tybalt and has been banished.
The nurse says, ‘Tybalt is gone’ (line 41), meaning Tybalt is dead. She
then reveals that Romeo is banished, which means he must leave his
home town, never to return, as punishment for Tybalt’s murder.
Therefore, E is the correct answer.
10 D killed
Slaughter can mean to kill people or animals in a cruel or violent way.

Juliet’s use of this more dramatic synonym emphasises how shocked
and upset she is at the thought of her loved one’s death.

11 C metaphor and a rhetorical question
A metaphor is an imaginative way of describing something by referring

to it as something else that has similar qualities. Here, the ‘storm’ is
symbolic of all the bad news and mixed messages that the nurse
has brought.
A rhetorical question is a question that requires no answer. They are

often used, as here, for dramatic effect.

1 A murdering Duncan.
Again, don’t worry if you don’t understand each and every word of the
extract. Based on the words and phrases that you do understand, you
can piece together what is going on.
Here is an approximate translation of the first two lines of the extract:
If this will all be over once it is done, then it would be best

If it were over with quickly. If the act of assassination…
At the end of line 2, Macbeth reveals that he is talking about an

assassination. This is what he is referring to when he uses the word ‘it’
in lines 1 and 2 (underlined).
An assassination is the murder of an important person for political or

religious reasons. We are told in the introduction to the extract that
Macbeth has been planning to kill King Duncan.

2 C If he’s going to do it, then better to do it soon.
In line 1 of the extract, the word ’tis is a contraction of ‘it is’ and ’twere
is a contraction of ‘it were’.
Here is an approximate translation of the first two lines:
If this will all be over once it is done, then it would be best

If it were over with quickly.
Macbeth means that if killing Duncan will bring an end to it all, then the
murder needs to be done quickly.
3 C Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both Duncan’s subject and

his host.
The phrase double trust means that Duncan has two reasons to
trust Macbeth.
'First, as I am his kinsman and his subject' (line 13).
Kin refers to family and relations, so Macbeth is saying that he is

related to Duncan (they are distant cousins).
The word subject in this context means that Macbeth is loyal to the
crown – King Duncan.
'then, as his host' (line 14).
Here, Macbeth is saying that he is Duncan's host, so Duncan expects to

be welcome and safe in his home.

4 D He should protect him from being murdered.
Macbeth says that, as Duncan’s host, he should, ‘against his murderer

shut the door’ (line 15).
In other words, he should provide him with a safe place to stay (protect
him from being murdered) rather than plotting to murder his guest.
5 B loudly
Besides, Duncan
Has been such a humble leader,
So honest and free from corruption, that his virtues
Will cry out like angels, as loud as trumpets, against his murder.
The phrase trumpet-tongu’d means the angels’ voices would be like

trumpets, which are loud instruments.

6 E alliteration
Line 20: The deep damnation of his taking-off
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the start of words that
are close together for effect.
Here, the repetition of the d sound in deep damnation helps to place a

lot of emphasis on those two words.
7 A He is feeling remorse before he even commits the murder.
Pity, like an innocent new-born baby,

Will ride the wind like an angel,
Or on invisible horses through the air,
To spread news of the horrible deed across the land
So that the tears shall drown the wind.
Macbeth is imagining what would happen if he were to kill Duncan.

There would be great pity for Duncan and news of the horrible deed
would spread quickly across the land, and tears of all Duncan’s subjects
would ‘drown the wind’. This shows that he is already feeling guilty
about murdering Duncan.

8 B personification and simile
Duncan’s virtues – good qualities – are given human characteristics

(the ability to plead). This is personification.
The phrase plead like angels is a simile, i.e. a figure of speech

comparing one thing with another.
9 C a sense of nervous tension and urgency
The quick-fire questions between Macbeth and his wife create a sense
of nervous tension and urgency.
10 D eaten
The word supp'd is a contraction of the old-fashioned verb 'supped',

meaning to have had supper.
Lady Macbeth says that Duncan has ‘almost supp’d’, meaning he has
almost finished eating his supper.

11 E He has come to the conclusion that he will not murder Duncan.
We will not take this plan any further.

He has recently honoured me, and I have earned
The good opinions of all sorts of people.
I should be basking in this new honour,
Not throwing it aside so quickly.
This shows that Macbeth does not want to go ahead with the planned
murder. He feels honoured by the trust Duncan has shown him, as well
as the approval and respect (‘golden opinions’) from other people. He
thinks he should take pride in this, not completely disregard it – he
would have no honour if he murdered Duncan.

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Product Title: 11+ English: Shakespeare

Contents: Comprehension 1: Romeo & Juliet 7 pages

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Romeo and Juliet

Act III Scene II

JULIET O, here comes my nurse,

Enter NURSE with cords.

NURSE Ay, ay, the cords. [Throws them down.]

NURSE Ah well-a-day, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!

JULIET Can heaven be so envious?

NURSE Romeo can,

Page 2 Please go on to the next page >>>

JULIET What devil art thou that dost torment me thus? 15

NURSE I saw the wound. I saw it with mine eyes, –

JULIET O break, my heart! Poor bankrupt, break at once!

NURSE O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had!

JULIET What storm is this that blows so contrary?

NURSE Tybalt is gone and Romeo banishèd.

Page 3 Please go on to the next page >>>

* cords – rope ladder

1 Why do you think the nurse has brought a rope ladder

A so that the nurse can escape from the house

2 In line 7, Juliet asks the nurse, ‘Why dost thou wring

What is the nurse doing with her hands?

Page 4 Please go on to the next page >>>

3 Say thou but ‘ay’,

What do these lines mean?

A If the nurse confirms Romeo’s death, Juliet will be overwhelmed

4 What is the meaning of ‘weal or woe’ (line 23)?

5 To prison, eyes; ne’er look on liberty! (line 30)

Why does Juliet say this?

A She would rather go to prison that be free.

Page 5 Please go on to the next page >>>

8 Vile earth to earth resign; end motion here (line 31)

What does Juliet mean here?

A She is asking the nurse to stop telling her bad news.

Page 6 Please go on to the next page >>>

A Tybalt has killed Romeo and has been banished.

10 What is another word for ‘slaughtered’ in line 37?

11 What storm is this that blows so contrary? (line 36)

Juliet means, ‘What storm is this that causes so many

Which literary techniques are used here?

A simile and hyperbole

Page 7 END OF TEST

Act I Scene VII

The Same. A Room in the Castle.

MACBETH If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well

Page 2 Please go on to the next page >>>

The deep damnation of his taking-off; 20

Enter LADY MACBETH

How now! what news?

MACBETH Hath he ask’d for me?

LADY MACBETH Know you not he has?

MACBETH We will proceed no further in this business:

*Hautboy – a type of musical instrument, similar to an oboe

Page 3 Please go on to the next page >>>

1 What is the ‘it’ that Macbeth is referring to in lines 1 and 2?

2 What do you think the first two lines mean?

A The deed has been done and been done well.

Page 4 Please go on to the next page >>>

3 What does Macbeth mean by ‘He’s here in double trust’

A Duncan trusts Macbeth because he is both Macbeth’s subject