The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Quiz and Close Reading Bundle

Help high school students extend reading comprehension and analyze plot developments in Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with this bundle of assessments. Answer keys are included. Covering every scene in Act 1, this bundle offers a plot-based quiz and three close reading analysis worksheets designed to facilitate students’ abilities to do the following:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Define complex words and phrases as they are used
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
• Compare and contrast two characters
• Examine how Shakespeare’s character choices affect the audience
• Determine the function of a given passage
• Discern the tone of a given passage
• Apply knowledge of many literary devices with emphasis on situational irony and metaphor
• Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss the play
• Defend claims with reasoned thinking and relevant evidence
• Write ideas with accuracy, clarity, and precision