Nonfiction Article - January 17, 2014

The Life of William Shakespeare

1            No one knows the exact date of William Shakespeare’s birth.  His baptism occurred on Wednesday, April 26, 1564.  His father was John Shakespeare, tanner, glover, dealer in grain, and town official of Stratford; his mother, Mary, was the daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous gentleman-farmer.  The Shakespeares lived on Hensley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

2            Under a bond dated November 28, 1582, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway entered into a marriage contract.  The baptism of their eldest child, Susanna, took place in Stratford in May 1583.  One year and nine months later their twins, Hamnet and Judith, were christened in the same church.  The parents named them for the poet’s friends Hamnet and Judith Sadler.

3            On March 25, 1616, William Shakespeare revised his last will and testament.  He died on April 23 of the same year.  His body lies within the chancel and before the altar of the Stratford church.  A rather wry inscription is carved upon his tombstone:

4            Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear

              To dig the dust enclosed here;

              Blest be the man that spares these stones

              And curst be he that moves my bones.

1          In paragraph 1, the word prosperous means –

       A     satisfied and content 

       B     unfortunate and ill

       C     successful and wealthy        

       D     hard-working and kind

2          In paragraph 2, the phrase “entered into a marriage contract” most

       nearly means –

       F     were engaged

       G     were married

       H     in a church with family and friends

       J     given the court’s permission to marry

3      In paragraph 3, the word wry means –

       A     cursed and angry       

       B     bitter and resentful

       C     cheerful and pleasant

       D     amusing and ironic      

4     Which of the following questions is NOT answered in paragraph 1?

       F     When was William Shakespeare born?

       G     When was William Shakespeare baptized?

       H     Who was William Shakespeare’s father?

       J     Who was William Shakespeare’s maternal grandfather?

5     Which of the following is NOT a fact from the passage?

       A     Shakespeare had three children with his wife Anne Hathaway.

       B     William Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564.

       C     William Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.

       D     Shakespeare’s mother’s name was Mary Arden.  

6     In paragraph 1, the reader can infer all of the following EXCEPT –

       F     William Shakespeare’s father had many occupations.

       G     Avon is a river in England.

       H     No accurate birth records were kept in the 1500s. 

       J     His parents were happily married. 

7     In paragraph 2, the reader can conclude the word “bond” means –

       A     a legal document

       B     a formal ceremony

       C     a wedding invitation

       D     a wedding ring