John Gay

Study question John Gay

Polly

Polly MCQs

The Beggar’s Opera

The Beggar’s Opera MCQs

Facts about John Gay

➾ John Gay, a poet and dramatist, belonged to an ancient family that had sadly become deeply impoverished.

➾ He began his career apprenticed to a London silk mercer, but he secured an early release from this service.

➾ Gay produced Wine in 1708, a peculiar piece written as a deliberate burlesque of the Miltonic writing style.

➾ His poetry often uses delicately absurd artificiality, paying comic dividends by disproportionate language and subject.

➾ In his poem Trivia, Gay correlated animals and humans, noting that both fawns and ladies get dressed in spring.

➾ He joined the Scriblerus Club, a literary group that aimed to ridicule high-flown academic pedantry collectively.

➾ The Beggar’s Opera achieved the longest known theatre run of the time, playing for 62 non-consecutive performances.

➾ The play caricatured Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole and his Whig administration for the moral degradation of society.

➾ The Lord Chamberlain banned Gay’s sequel, Polly, likely on the direct instructions of Sir Robert Walpole.

➾ The ban on Polly proved to be an excellent advertisement, netting the author over £1,000 in subscriptions.

➾ Despite disastrous investment in South Sea stock, “Honest” John Gay somehow left a significant £6,000 upon his death.

John Gay MCQs

1. When was John Gay born?

A. June 30, 1685
B. November 6, 1671
C. December 4, 1732
D. June 30, 1708

A. June 30, 1685.
John Gay, the English poet and dramatist, was born on June 30, 1685.

2. Where was John Gay born?

A. London, England
B. Barnstaple, Devon, Eng.
C. Dublin, Ireland
D. Naples, Italy

B. Barnstaple, Devon, Eng..
Gay was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, although he eventually spent most of his professional life in London.

3. What profession was Gay originally apprenticed to in London?

A. Playwright
B. Sculptor
C. Silk mercer
D. Free-lance journalist

C. Silk mercer.
He was initially apprenticed to a silk mercer in London but was released early from his indentures to pursue writing.

4. What literary work is John Gay chiefly remembered for being the author of?

A. The Relapse
B. The Beggar’s Opera
C. Rural Sports
D. The Dunciad

B. The Beggar’s Opera.
Gay is primarily remembered as the author of The Beggar’s Opera, a highly successful work featuring good-humoured satire.

5. What was the general nature of the satire found in The Beggar’s Opera?

A. Vicious and pointed
B. Good-humoured
C. Darkly philosophical
D. Socially didactic

B. Good-humoured.
The sources describe Gay’s most famous work, The Beggar’s Opera, as being distinguished by its particularly good-humoured satire.

6. What was the title of Gay’s pamphlet surveying contemporary periodical publications in 1711?

A. The British Apollo
B. The Present State of Wit
C. Rural Sports
D. The Beggar’s Opera

B. The Present State of Wit.
Gay wrote the 1711 pamphlet titled The Present State of Wit, which provided a survey of the periodical publications of the time.

7. Who did Gay help in the production of the journal The British Apollo?

A. Pope and Swift
B. Hill and Budgell
C. Rich and Walpole
D. Brecht and Weill

B. Hill and Budgell.
Among his early literary friends were Aaron Hill and Eustace Budgell, whom he assisted with The British Apollo.

8. What employment did Gay hold from 1712 to 1714?

A. Theatre Manager
B. Silk Mercer
C. Duchess of Monmouth’s steward
D. Government Spy

C. Duchess of Monmouth’s steward.
Gay served as a steward in the household of the Duchess of Monmouth, which provided him with security and leisure time.

9. What did Gay achieve while employed by the Duchess of Monmouth?

A. Leisure and security
B. Great financial wealth
C. Political influence
D. Poet Laureate position

A. Leisure and security.
The position afforded him the crucial leisure and security to concentrate on his emerging writing career.

10. What was the title of Gay’s 1708 work, which was a burlesque of the Miltonic style?

A. The Beggar’s Opera
B. Rural Sports
C. Wine
D. Trivia

C. Wine.
In 1708, Gay wrote Wine, a burlesque of the grand style of John Milton.

11. What is cited as John Gay’s first important poem, appearing in 1713?

A. Wine
B. The Shepherd’s Week
C. Rural Sports
D. The Beggar’s Opera

C. Rural Sports.
Gay’s first important poem, published in 1713, was Rural Sports, which dealt with hunting and fishing.

12. What form of poem is Rural Sports, dealing with hunting and fishing?

A. Didactic and descriptive
B. Satirical and humorous
C. Philosophical and tragic
D. Epistolary and moral

A. Didactic and descriptive.
Rural Sports is described as a two-book descriptive and didactic work, incorporating descriptions of the English countryside.

13. What Horatian theme did Rural Sports include meditations on?

A. War strategy
B. Political intrigue
C. Artistic critique
D. Retirement

D. Retirement.
The poem Rural Sports goes beyond sports and contains serious meditations on the classical Horatian theme of retirement.

14. Which characteristic note did Gay strike in Rural Sports?

A. Deep seriousness
B. Delicately absurd artificiality
C. Overt political allegory
D. Excessive sentimentality

B. Delicately absurd artificiality.
Gay’s work often exhibited a characteristic note of meticulously planned, delicately absurd artificiality in its composition.

15. What is cited in the sources as John Gay’s finest poem?

A. Rural Sports
B. The Shepherd’s Week
C. Trivia
D. Fables

C. Trivia.
Trivia: or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London (1716) is specifically called his finest poem.

16. What is the subtitle of Gay’s finest poem, Trivia (1716)?

A. The Fool in Fashion
B. The Art of Walking the Streets
C. The Lover in Fashion
D. Virtue in Danger

B. The Art of Walking the Streets.
The full title of the poem is “Trivia: or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London,” which details urban experiences.

17. What craftsmanship does Trivia display in its writing?

A. Confusing and vague
B. Assured and precise
C. Imitative and repetitive
D. Emotional and overwrought

B. Assured and precise.
Trivia shows assured and precise craftsmanship, where rhythm and diction skillfully underscore the described experience.

18. What aspect of social life did Gay excel at delicately probing in works like Trivia?

A. Political affiliations
B. Philosophical surface
C. Surface of social life
D. Financial investments

C. Surface of social life.
Gay’s literary strength lay in his delicate probing and accurate description of the superficial surface of contemporary social life.

19. What style of poetry is The Shepherd’s Week (1714)?

A. Octosyllabic fable
B. Mock classical pastoral
C. Sentimental comedy
D. Political burlesque

B. Mock classical pastoral.
The Shepherd’s Week is a series of poems written in a mock classical style set in a pastoral countryside environment.

20. What format are the two series of Fables, published in 1727 and 1738, written in?

A. Alexandrine lines
B. Octosyllabic lines
C. Prose paragraphs
D. Heroic couplets

B. Octosyllabic lines.
The Fables, which illustrate moral themes, are specifically composed of concise eight-syllable (octosyllabic) lines.

21. What kind of themes did Gay’s Fables often illustrate?

A. Political theories
B. Financial speculation
C. Moral themes
D. Romantic devotion

C. Moral themes.
The Fables were designed as brief illustrations of important moral themes, often adopting a satirical tone.

22. Who was John Gay’s contemporary and close friend, whose poetry influenced him?

A. John Arbuthnot
B. Jonathan Swift
C. Alexander Pope
D. Sir Robert Walpole

C. Alexander Pope.
Gay was significantly influenced by the poetry and literary ideas of his close friend, the prominent poet Alexander Pope.

23. What was the name of the literary group Gay belonged to with Pope and Swift?

A. Whig Administration
B. Scriblerus Club
C. The Triumvirate
D. London Apollo

B. Scriblerus Club.
Gay, alongside Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, was a member of the anti-pedantry Scriblerus Club.

24. What was the specific aim of the Scriblerus Club?

A. Promoting drama
B. Ridicule pedantry
C. Supporting the Whigs
D. Encouraging satire

B. Ridicule pedantry.
The members of the Scriblerus Club collaborated with the specific literary goal of ridiculing scholarly pedantry.

25. Which of Gay’s satirical plays did his Scriblerus friends contribute to?

A. The Beggar’s Opera
B. Three Hours After Marriage
C. Rural Sports
D. The Non-Juror

B. Three Hours After Marriage.
Gay’s friends, including Pope and Swift, contributed to the satirical play Three Hours After Marriage, staged in 1717.

26. In what year was Gay’s most successful play, The Beggar’s Opera, first produced?

A. Seventeen eleven
B. Seventeen fifteen
C. Seventeen twenty-eight
D. Seventeen thirty-two

C. Seventeen twenty-eight.
The Beggar’s Opera, Gay’s major success, was first produced for the London stage on January 29, 1728.

27. Who was the theatre manager responsible for producing The Beggar’s Opera?

A. Colley Cibber
B. John Rich
C. Barton Booth
D. Bertolt Brecht

B. John Rich.
The play was produced successfully by the famous theatre manager, John Rich, at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre.

28. What record run length did The Beggar’s Opera achieve at the time of its debut?

A. Thirty performances
B. Sixty-two performances
C. One hundred performances
D. Seventy-seven performances

B. Sixty-two performances.
The play ran for 62 non-consecutive performances, the longest theatrical run known at the time.

29. What specific group did the story of The Beggar’s Opera centre around?

A. Poets and writers
B. Thieves and highwaymen
C. Merchants and servants
D. Nobles and sisters

B. Thieves and highwaymen.
The Beggar’s Opera utilised a story about thieves and highwaymen to satirically mirror the moral degradation.

30. Who did The Beggar’s Opera primarily caricature among politicians?

A. King George I
B. Sir Robert Walpole
C. Jonathan Swift
D. Alexander Pope

B. Sir Robert Walpole.
The play was specifically intended to caricature the powerful prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and his Whig government.

31. What specific cultural trend did The Beggar’s Opera make fun of?

A. English theatre
B. Prevailing Italian opera
C. Sentimental comedy
D. Mock classical verse

B. Prevailing Italian opera.
Part of the work’s satirical intent was to mock the popularity and fashion for prevailing Italian opera specifically.

32. What element, besides satire, contributed to the stage success of The Beggar’s Opera?

A. Pungent political commentary
B. Highly technical score
C. Effective situations and songs
D. Simple characters

C. Effective situations and songs.
The play was effective onstage largely due to its compelling dramatic situations and its easily singable songs.

33. What was the title of the sequel to The Beggar’s Opera?

A. The Non-Juror
B. Polly
C. Love’s Last Shift
D. The Threepenny Opera

B. Polly.
The immediate sequel to Gay’s successful opera was titled Polly, but its production was prohibited.

34. Who banned the production of Polly in London?

A. John Rich
B. The Lord Chamberlain
C. Sir Robert Walpole
D. Alexander Pope

B. The Lord Chamberlain.
Production of the sequel was forbidden by the powerful Lord Chamberlain, presumably acting on Walpole’s instructions.

35. What effect did the official ban have on the published edition of Polly?

A. Reduced sales significantly
B. Caused immense political trouble
C. Served as an excellent advertisement
D. Required censorship

C. Served as an excellent advertisement.
The ban acted as a superb advertisement, boosting the sales of the printed edition significantly for the author.

36. How much profit did Gay make from the subscriptions for the printed edition of Polly?

A. Less than £1,000
B. Exactly £6,000
C. More than £1,000
D. Over £620

C. More than £1,000.
Subscriptions for copies of the printed edition of Polly generated a substantial profit exceeding £1,000 for John Gay.

37. In what year was Gay’s banned sequel, Polly, eventually produced?

A. Seventeen twenty-eight
B. Seventeen thirty-two
C. Seventeen forty-three
D. Seventeen seventy-seven

D. Seventeen seventy-seven.
Polly had a moderate success when it was finally permitted to be produced on stage in 1777.

38. Which 20th-century adaptation successfully transmitted The Beggar’s Opera?

A. The Relapse
B. Die Dreigroschenoper
C. The Non-Juror
D. The Threepenny Play

B. Die Dreigroschenoper.
Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill successfully adapted Gay’s work into Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) in 1928.

39. What nickname was John Gay often known by among his friends?

A. Honest John Gay
B. The Great Dramatist
C. Master of Satire
D. The Poor Poet

A. Honest John Gay.
Despite his unfortunate financial decisions, John Gay was commonly and affectionately known by the name “Honest” John Gay.

40. What caused Gay to lose most of his substantial money?

A. Political fines
B. Theatre management
C. South Sea stock
D. Excessive spending

C. South Sea stock.
Gay lost most of his personal fortune through a disastrous and unsuccessful investment in speculative South Sea stock.

41. How much money did Gay leave when he died in 1732?

A. Nothing at all
B. Six thousand pounds
C. Exactly £1,000
D. Only his debts

B. Six thousand pounds.
Despite losing most of his wealth, the sources state that Gay still left a sum of £6,000 upon his death.

42. In what year did John Gay pass away in London?

A. Seventeen twenty-eight
B. Seventeen thirty-two
C. Seventeen thirty-eight
D. Seventeen forty

B. Seventeen thirty-two.
John Gay died in London on December 4, 1732, bringing his highly influential literary career to a close.

43. Where was John Gay buried in London?

A. St Paul’s Cathedral
B. Drury Lane Theatre
C. Westminster Abbey
D. Lincoln’s Inn Fields

C. Westminster Abbey.
John Gay was buried in the prestigious Westminster Abbey, resting near the tomb of the famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

44. Who wrote the epitaph that marks John Gay’s final resting place?

A. Jonathan Swift
B. John Rich
C. Alexander Pope
D. Sir Robert Walpole

C. Alexander Pope.
Gay’s close friend and literary collaborator, Alexander Pope, was responsible for writing the epitaph for his tomb.

45. What form of work are Gay’s two plays, The What D’ye Call It and Three Hours After Marriage?

A. Sentimental comedies
B. Satirical plays
C. Verse tragedies
D. Descriptive poems

B. Satirical plays.
These two earlier plays, benefiting from Scriblerus Club input, are identified as satirical plays.

46. Which French dramatist was The Beggar’s Opera often contrasted with due to its subject matter?

A. Molière
B. Racine
C. Corneille
D. Not mentioned

D. Not mentioned.
The sources detail his life extensively but do not mention a specific French dramatist in contrast.

47. What specific detail about a sophisticated lady crossing the street is conveyed in a couplet from Trivia?

A. Her shoe disdains the street
B. Her walking is clumsy
C. Her dress is torn
D. Her path is muddy

A. Her shoe disdains the street.
The couplet describes the lady moving with a narrow step, specifically stating “Her shoe disdains the street”.

48. What quality did Pope value enough to write Gay’s epitaph?

A. Wealth accumulation
B. Political loyalty
C. Close friendship
D. Acting talent

C. Close friendship.
Pope and Gay were described as close friends, and Pope honoured that relationship by writing the epitaph.

49. What literary quality is conveyed by the deliberate disproportion between language and subject in Rural Sports?

A. Comic dividends
B. Moral outrage
C. Technical weakness
D. Serious reverence

A. Comic dividends.
The sources explain that this deliberate disproportion effectively pays “comic dividends,” establishing a sympathetic tone.

50. The Beggar’s Opera was one of the first successful examples of what theatrical form?

A. Italian Opera
B. Question-answer journal
C. Ballad Opera
D. Restoration tragedy

C. Ballad Opera.
The Beggar’s Opera is categorised as an English opera and is recognised today as a prime example of Ballad Opera.

The Beggar’s Opera MCQs

1. Peachum compares his trade to what other profession?

A. Priest’s work
B. Lawyer’s employment
C. Statesman’s policy
D. Surgeon’s practice

B. Lawyer’s employment.
Peachum states his employment is honest like a lawyer’s, as both act against and for rogues.

2. For which criminal does Peachum decide to “soften the Evidence”?

A. Tom Gagg
B. Black Moll
C. Betty Sly
D. Bob Booty

B. Black Moll.
Peachum says that since Black Moll is active and industrious, he will order matters to soften the evidence.

3. What is the final fate of the “lazy Dog,” Tom Gagg, recorded by Peachum?

A. Transportation
B. Guilty
C. Imprisonment
D. Set free

B. Guilty.
Peachum records Tom Gagg’s fate, noting he is “found guilty,” making his death without reprieve.

4. Why does Peachum say he prefers women to escape the law and hangings?

A. They pay better
B. Breed of the game
C. They are honest
D. He loves them

B. Breed of the game.
Peachum explains that a good sportsman lets hen Partridges fly because the breed of the game depends upon them.

5. According to Filch’s song, what is primarily required to win “suits of love”?

A. Virtue and Wit
B. Honest hearts
C. Law and truth
D. Pay and fees

D. Pay and fees.
Filch sings that suits of Love, like suits of Law, are only won by payment and beauty must be “fee’d into our Arms”.

6. What does Peachum hate in a rogue, preventing him from getting profits quickly?

A. Being rude
B. Being lazy
C. Being too clever
D. Being too honest

B. Being lazy.
Peachum says he hates a lazy rogue because he can get nothing from him “till he is hang’d”.

7. What is Slippery Sam’s intended honest employment that Peachum condemns?

A. A Lawyer
B. A Tailor
C. A Cook
D. A Sailor

B. A Tailor.
Peachum states Slippery Sam must hang because he has the impudence to follow his trade as a tailor.

8. What gift did Mrs. Peachum receive from her favorite customer, Bob Booty?

A. A gold watch
B. This Ring
C. A silk scarf
D. A new gown

B. This Ring.
Mrs. Peachum mentions that her favourite customer, Bob Booty, was the one who presented her with the ring she wears.

9. According to Mrs. Peachum’s song, what gives a condemned youth “the Air of a Lord”?

A. A fine horse
B. A charming zone
C. His health
D. His smile

B. A charming zone.
She sings that a rope, or a cord, beneath the ear is a “charming a Zone” making the youth look like a lord.

10. What is the fashionable crime that gentlemen commit, according to Peachum?

A. Larceny
B. Forgery
C. Murder
D. Robbery

C. Murder.
Peachum tells his wife that murder is considered as fashionable a crime as a gentleman can possibly commit.

11. Where did Captain Macheath leave his Bank-Notes with Mrs. Peachum?

A. In Newgate
B. At a tavern
C. With her last week
D. In a bagshot

C. With her last week.
Peachum asks his wife if Macheath was there that morning for the Bank-Notes he left “with you last Week”.

12. What type of establishments are ruining Captain Macheath financially, according to Peachum?

A. Gambling dens
B. Chocolate-houses
C. Pawnbrokers
D. Theatre houses

B. Chocolate-houses.
Peachum states that Macheath keeps too good company, specifying “Marybone and the Chocolate-houses are his Undoing”.

13. To whom does Peachum say he should leave morals and honesty?

A. The rich
B. His wife
C. The pòor
D. His daughter

C. The pòor.
Peachum implies throughout that morals are irrelevant to their business, especially to the wealthy.

14. What does Peachum compare Polly to if she marries Macheath and ignites easily?

A. A court lady
B. A slave
C. Tinder
D. Fine china

C. Tinder.
Peachum fears that Polly is “Tinder,” meaning a small spark (like marriage) will instantly set her on a flame.

15. What comparison does Mrs. Peachum use to describe how a wife is controlled by her spouse’s reputation?

A. A Mint
B. Golden Ore
C. A Guinea in gold
D. A silver shilling

C. A Guinea in gold.
Mrs. Peachum sings that a wife is like a Guinea in gold, stamped with her spouse’s name, current in every house.

16. Where was Filch’s post the night before he delivered the handkerchiefs to Mrs. Peachum?

A. At Newgate
B. The Opera
C. Drury Lane
D. Temple Coffee-House

B. The Opera.
Filch informs Mrs. Peachum that he “ply’d at the Opera” the previous night, making a tolerable haul.

17. Why did Filch fail to steal the Gold Watch he attempted to take?

A. A watchman saw
B. The fob was too deep
C. It was locked up
D. The owner fought

B. The fob was too deep.
Filch complains that the Tailors make the fobs “so deep and narrow,” causing the watch to stick.

18. What skill does Mrs. Peachum say she thought Filch had already lost?

A. Fear
B. Honor
C. Money
D. Manners

A. Fear.
Mrs. Peachum scolds Filch: “I thought, Boy, by this time, thou hadst lost Fear as well as Shame”.

19. What does Polly keep as “visible Marks of his Favour” from Macheath?

A. Jewels
B. This Watch
C. Bank-notes
D. Silk scarves

B. This Watch.
Polly tells her father that she has “this Watch and other visible Marks of his Favour” to show for her liberties.

20. What comparison does Polly use to describe a young woman whose virginity is lost?

A. Golden Ore
B. A Flower
C. A turtle
D. A Guinea

B. A Flower.
Polly uses the metaphor of a “fair Flower” that, once plucked, fades, shrinks, and is trod under feet.

21. What does Peachum threaten to do to Polly if he finds out she is married to Macheath?

A. Cut her throat
B. Sell her off
C. Lock her up
D. Beat her severely

A. Cut her throat.
Peachum warns Polly, “if I find out that you have play’d the Fool and are married, you Jade you, I’ll cut your Throat, Hussy”.

22. Mrs. Peachum says Polly’s folly makes her as ill-used as if she had married whom?

A. A beggar
B. A rich man
C. A lord
D. A lawyer

C. A lord.
Mrs. Peachum tells Polly she will be “as ill-us’d, and as much neglected, as if thou hadst married a Lord”.

23. Peachum states Macheath’s marriage presents two chances for a wife: getting rich or what?

A. Being betrayed
B. Dying
C. Escaping
D. Being found out

B. Dying.
Peachum suggests Macheath is in a fair way of either “getting, or of dying,” both being excellent chances for a wife.

24. How does Peachum try to force Polly to confess to her marriage?

A. He hits her
B. He pinches her
C. He yells loudly
D. He locks her up

B. He pinches her.
Peachum asks if Polly is “bound Wife to him” and then “Pinches her” to make her confess.

25. What is the real reason Polly married Macheath, according to her song?

A. Fear of chiding
B. Passionate love
C. Parental obedience
D. Seeking wealth

A. Fear of chiding.
Polly sings she married Macheath because she “thought it both safest and best / To marry, for fear you should chide”.

26. What item was lent to Suky Straddle to make a figure at a tavern in Drury Lane?

A. A gold sword
B. A piece of lace
C. A repeating watch
D. A silver snuff-box

C. A repeating watch.
Peachum told Polly to say they couldn’t get intelligence of the Repeating Watch, which he had lent to Suky Straddle.

27. According to Peachum, what substance is the “true Fuller’s Earth for Reputations”?

A. Love
B. Honesty
C. Money
D. Trust

C. Money.
Peachum claims that money is the “true Fuller’s Earth for Reputations,” capable of removing every stain or spot.

28. What kind of thief is Nimming Ned, according to Peachum?

A. A housebreaker
B. A fire salvager
C. A pickpocket
D. A shoplifter

B. A fire salvager.
Peachum praises Ned because he “saves more Goods out of the Fire than Ned”.

29. What is the ultimate “whole Scheme and Intention of all Marriage-Articles” for a woman?

A. Children
B. Widow-hood
C. Jointure
D. Fidelity

B. Widow-hood.
Peachum declares that the comfortable Estate of Widowhood is the main hope that sustains a wife’s spirits.

30. Peachum explains that having Macheath arrested for the reward is just business, not what emotion?

A. Fear
B. Malice
C. Greed
D. Envy

B. Malice.
Peachum justifies peaching Macheath by saying that, since taking robbers is their employment, “there is no Malice in the Case”.

31. What is the name of the executioner that Polly imagines hesitating to perform his duty?

A. Jack Ketch
B. Tom Gagg
C. Slippery Sam
D. Crook-finger’d Jack

A. Jack Ketch.
Polly imagines the execution scene where “Jack Ketch himself hesitates to perform his Duty” due to Macheath’s charm.

32. What reason does Polly cite for why Macheath’s love cannot change during absence?

A. He is honourable
B. He is pòor
C. Great Heroes never are false
D. She is beautiful

C. Great Heroes never are false.
Polly notes that in the romance Macheath lent her, “none of the great Heroes were ever false in Love”.

33. Macheath says tearing him from Polly is harder than tearing a fee from whom?

A. A Courtier
B. A Beggar
C. A Lawyer
D. A Soldier

C. A Lawyer.
Macheath provides three impossibility analogies, including that separating him from Polly is harder than taking a “Fee from a Lawyer”.

34. What substance does Matt of the Mint say the pirates’ fire surpasses the alchemists’ fire in creating?

A. Gold
B. Lead
C. Wine
D. Courage

A. Gold.
Matt sings that while chemists toil, the pirates’ fire surpasses theirs and “turns all our Lead to Gold”.

35. Macheath says that women, like the notes of what instrument, raise men’s spirits?

A. A trumpet
B. A drum
C. A fiddle
D. A flute

C. A fiddle.
Macheath sings that when a woman appears, “Like the Notes of a Fiddle, she sweetly, sweetly / Raises the Spirits”.

36. Which of Macheath’s mistresses is described as having a “sanctify’d Look” but a “mischievous Heart”?

A. Dolly Trull
B. Mrs. Vixen
C. Jenny Diver
D. Suky Tawdry

C. Jenny Diver.
Macheath affectionately calls Jenny Diver a “dear artful Hypocrite” with a sanctified look and a mischievous heart.

37. What does Macheath say cards and dice are only fit for?

A. Cowardly cheats
B. Fine ladies
C. Pòor men
D. Bawds and pimps

A. Cowardly cheats.
Macheath argues that cards and dice are “only fit for cowardly Cheats, who prey upon their Friends”.

38. Who rushes in to seize Macheath after being signaled by the women?

A. Lockit and Filch
B. Peachum and Constables
C. Matt and Ben Budge
D. Mrs. Peachum and Lucy

B. Peachum and Constables.
Jenny and Suky make signs to Peachum and Constables, who “rush in upon him” to effect the arrest.

39. After Macheath’s capture, what does Lockit demand from Macheath according to the custom of the prison?

A. His money
B. Garnish
C. A confession
D. His weapons

B. Garnish.
Lockit immediately greets Macheath, demanding, “Garnish, Captain, Garnish,” which is the customary jail fee.

40. What does Lockit tell Macheath the chains will fit as easily as?

A. A shoe
B. A glove
C. A ribbon
D. A sash

B. A glove.
Lockit, seeking a fee, boasts that the fetters are so well made they “will fit as easy as a Glove”.

41. What item does Macheath say is “sure to kill” a man who takes it?

A. Brandy
B. Woman
C. A rope
D. A pistol

B. Woman.
Macheath sings, “Who takes a Woman must be undone, / That Basilisk is sure to kill”.

42. How does Macheath try to assure Lucy that he is not married to Polly?

A. He blames Polly’s conceit
B. He shows her a letter
C. He swears on his honor
D. He pays her money

A. He blames Polly’s conceit.
Macheath claims Polly is “prodigiously conceited,” making her think he is hers whenever he says a civil thing.

43. Peachum says they are forced to encourage those who betray their friends, which makes their job like that of whom?

A. Great Statesmen
B. Lawyers
C. Courtiers
D. Surgeons

A. Great Statesmen.
Peachum notes that their employment may be dishonest because, “like Great Statesmen, we encourage those who betray their Friends”.

44. What is the subject of the account that Peachum and Lockit are discussing in the gaming-house?

A. The last year
B. The Coronation Account
C. Macheath’s fees
D. Filch’s thefts

B. The Coronation Account.
Lockit mentions that the “Coronation Account” is of such an intricate nature that it will likely never be settled.

45. What item does Peachum say the rich Brocade Tail was disposed of to Mrs. Trapes for?

A. Jewelry
B. Shoes and Slippers
C. Black Scarfs
D. Cambric

B. Shoes and Slippers.
The Brocade was sold to Diana Trapes, who will use it for “Shoes and Slippers, to trick out young Ladies”.

46. Mrs. Trapes claims she has been a great sufferer recently due to the Parliament’s Act for destroying what location?

A. Drury-Lane
B. The Lock
C. The Mint
D. The Old Baily

C. The Mint.
Mrs. Trapes complains that the Act for destroying “the Mint, was a severe Cut upon our Business”.

47. Lucy tries to poison Polly by urging her to drink a glass of what?

A. Water
B. Wine
C. Cordial
D. Beer

C. Cordial.
Lucy repeatedly insists that Polly, who claims to be low in spirits, drink the “delicious Cordial” (which is the rat’s-bane).

48. What does Macheath turn up (empty) to show his loss of courage right before his execution?

A. The glass
B. The pipe
C. The bottle
D. The pot

C. The bottle.
When Macheath cries “See, my Courage is out,” he demonstrates this loss by turning up the empty bottle.

49. Macheath’s final advice to Polly and Lucy is that they should ship themselves off for what destination?

A. London
B. The West-Indies
C. Scotland
D. The Old Baily

B. The West-Indies.
Macheath tells his wives to “Ship yourselves off for the West-Indies, where you’ll have a fair Chance of getting a Husband”.

50. Why does the Player insist that Macheath must be reprieved and not executed?

A. He deserves it
B. The plot is confusing
C. Opera must end happily
D. The audience protests

C. Opera must end happily.
The Player argues that the catastrophe is wrong because, in this kind of drama, “an Opera must end happily”.

Brief Overview

The Beggar’s Opera was first published by John Gay in 1728. It is a famous ballad opera known for its satire of Italian opera. The play addresses strong themes of corruption, hypocrisy, and the blurred lines between the criminal underworld and the political elite.

Peachum is a criminal receiver who operates like a dishonest statesman, profiting by turning in (peaching) his own gang members for reward money. He and his wife worry intensely when their daughter, Polly, secretly marries the famous highwayman, Captain Macheath. Peachum fears Macheath will gain control of Polly’s secrets or fortune.

Since the marriage ruins their family business plans, Polly’s parents decide to have Macheath arrested and executed for the reward money. Polly is horrified; she loves Macheath passionately and helps him escape their home to save him.

Macheath meets his gang members in a tavern. He is caught there when two of his many mistresses, Jenny Diver and Suky Tawdry, betray him to Peachum and the Constables for the reward.

Macheath is sent to Newgate Prison. There, he is confronted by his other secret wife, Lucy Lockit, whose father is the Jailer. Lucy is jealous of Polly and tries to poison her when Polly visits the prison.

Lucy helps Macheath escape, but he is captured again soon after. Now, both Polly and Lucy beg their fathers to save Macheath, each claiming to be his true wife. Macheath faces execution at the Old Bailey. At the last moment, the Beggar and Player decide the opera must end happily. Macheath is reprieved, avoiding the gallows. He then chooses Polly as his only real wife.