Julius Caesar: Act 1 – MCQs (25+ Questions)
- On what date does Act 1 of Julius Caesar take place?
a) March 15
b) February 15 (Festival of Lupercalia)
c) February 14
d) March 1 - What are Flavius and Murellus in the play?
a) Senators
b) Military generals
c) Tribunes (high-ranking officials)
d) Priests - Why are the common people celebrating in Scene 1?
a) A religious festival
b) Caesar's victory over Pompey
c) A wedding
d) A harvest celebration - How does Murellus describe the commoners?
a) "Honorable men of Rome"
b) "You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things"
c) "Noble citizens"
d) "Wise people of Rome" - What does Murellus accuse the commoners of doing?
a) Plotting against Caesar
b) Being traitors to Rome
c) Forgetting Pompey, their former hero, and celebrating Caesar instead
d) Refusing to pay taxes - What is the carpenter's profession mentioned in Scene 1?
a) A baker
b) A carpenter (with leather apron and rule)
c) A blacksmith
d) A merchant - What does Flavius plan to do to reduce Caesar's support?
a) Arrest Caesar
b) Start a war
c) Pluck the "growing feathers from Caesar's wing"—remove crowns from statues and disperse crowds
d) Kill Caesar - What metaphor does Flavius use for controlling Caesar's power?
a) "Cutting off his head"
b) "Plucking his growing feathers so he cannot fly too high"
c) "Drowning him"
d) "Breaking his sword" - In Scene 2, what does Caesar instruct Antony to do to Calpurnia?
a) Give her a gift
b) Strike/touch her during the race (to remove her sterility according to Roman superstition)
c) Speak to her
d) Ignore her - What warning does the Soothsayer give to Caesar?
a) "Beware the ides of April"
b) "Beware the ides of March" (March 15)
c) "Beware your friends"
d) "Beware the Senate" - How does Caesar respond to the Soothsayer's warning?
a) He becomes fearful
b) He dismisses it; "He is a dreamer"
c) He arrests the Soothsayer
d) He leaves Rome immediately - Why is Cassius interested in speaking with Brutus alone?
a) To congratulate him
b) To discuss Caesar's power and manipulate him into joining the conspiracy
c) To discuss the weather
d) To ask for money - What fear does Brutus express while Cassius is talking to him?
a) Fear of war
b) Fear of poverty
c) Fear that Caesar will be crowned king and become a tyrant
d) Fear of the Soothsayer - What does Brutus say about his priority in life?
a) Personal wealth and pleasure
b) His own honor and the general welfare of Rome matter more than life itself
c) Friendship with Caesar
d) Family wealth - What is Cassius's opinion of Caesar compared to Brutus?
a) Caesar is superior to Brutus
b) Brutus is no less capable than Caesar; Caesar should not be valued above him
c) Caesar is a god
d) Brutus is inferior to Caesar - What physical weakness does Cassius mention about Caesar?
a) Blindness
b) Deafness
c) Epilepsy ("falling sickness") - Caesar falls down and foams at the mouth
d) Lameness - How many times does Casca report that Caesar refused the crown?
a) Once
b) Twice
c) Three times
d) Never - What does Casca say Caesar did when offered the crown?
a) He grabbed it immediately
b) He refused it and swooned/fainted in public, falling down and foaming
c) He threw it away
d) He accepted it secretly - What does Caesar confide to Mark Antony about Cassius?
a) Caesar trusts Cassius completely
b) Caesar does not trust Cassius but loves Brutus
c) Caesar likes Cassius better than Brutus
d) Caesar wants to promote Cassius - What does Cassius reveal in his soliloquy at the end of Scene 2?
a) His love for Caesar
b) His plan to make Caesar king
c) That he is manipulating Brutus because Caesar loves Brutus but fears Cassius
d) His plan to leave Rome - Why does Cassius target Brutus specifically for manipulation?
a) Brutus is the strongest man
b) Brutus is the richest man
c) Brutus is Caesar's trusted friend, is honorable, and cares about Rome's welfare
d) Brutus is Cassius's brother - What do Brutus and Cassius agree to do at the end of Scene 2?
a) Kill Caesar immediately
b) Join the Senate
c) Meet the next day to discuss Rome's situation
d) Travel to Egypt - What is the primary conflict introduced in Act 1?
a) A love triangle
b) War with a foreign enemy
c) The tension between Caesar's ambition and the Roman republic, with Cassius plotting against Caesar
d) A family dispute - What does the fickle nature of the common people demonstrate in Scene 1?
a) Their wisdom
b) Their loyalty to Caesar
c) Their lack of consistent principles—they once loved Pompey but now celebrate Caesar's victory
d) Their love of work - Why are the tribunes worried about Caesar's growing popularity?
a) They want to be famous themselves
b) They fear he will become a tyrant and destroy the republic
c) They dislike parades
d) They are bored - What does Act 1 foreshadow about the play's ending?
a) Caesar will be crowned king peacefully
b) Brutus and Cassius will become friends
c) Caesar's assassination on the ides of March—through the Soothsayer's warning
d) Rome will go to war with Egypt - How does Shakespeare use the Soothsayer in Act 1?
a) As comic relief
b) As a voice of warning and fate, foreshadowing the tragedy to come
c) As Caesar's advisor
d) As a military general - What is the overall tone of Act 1?
a) Romantic and cheerful
b) Political tension, suspicion, and ominous foreshadowing leading to tragedy
c) Humorous and light
d) Peaceful and calm
Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-b, 9-b, 10-b, 11-b, 12-b, 13-c, 14-b, 15-b, 16-c, 17-c, 18-b, 19-b, 20-c, 21-c, 22-c, 23-c, 24-c, 25-c, 26-b, 27-b, 28-b.