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Who Wrote Shakespeare?

The so-called "authorship controversy" surrounding
Shakespeare is something of a misnomer: it could only truly
be classified as a controversy if the definition of the word
were adapted to mean "a disagreement between one sane
group and one group propagating ludicrous conspiracy
theories." There is simply no credible proof that a man
other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon
authored the plays attributed to him. To believe that
someone other than Shakespeare—whether it be the Earl
of Oxford, Francis Bacon, or Queen Elizabeth
herself—wrote the plays would require one to strain the
very limits of plausibility. One would have to believe that,
not only was there a reason for an author to assume a pen
name, but that said pen name would belong to an actual
person who would allow the plays to be attributed to him without receiving any monetary
compensation. One would also have to assume that Shakespeare—the real Shakespeare but not
the author—would never remark to another person that he was not the author. Not to mention the
fact that the man the theorists claim was too lowbrow and unsophisticated to author the plays would
have had occasion to meet someone so sophisticated that he needed to write under an assumed
name and could pitch the idea to Shakespeare…

So, where then does such a harebrained idea come from? Well, for starters, the theorists incorrectly
assume that the world of Elizabethan England was similar to our own and included copyright laws
and such a concept as literary or theatrical fame. Thus, they claim, because Shakespeare’s will did
not mention his plays, it would be implausible for him to be the author. For another, the theorists
falsely assume that an author’s only source of information is his own background and studies. Since
Shakespeare the man was not educated and was not cosmopolitan, they claim, there is no way he
could’ve written about Verona and Elsinore. This conviction, though, is even more specious. The
experiences Shakespeare wrote about are universal, so though he himself did not personally know
the setting, he certainly did know the drama. And, at the end of the day, isn’t it more important that
we understand the drama than the dramaturge?

1) Which of the following pieces of information, if added to the passage, would strengthen the
author's argument?

A. Newly uncovered journals reveal that the Earl of Oxford died years before many of
Shakespeare’s plays were first performed.
B. Scholars now believe that Shakespeare toured Europe as an actor in his early twenties.
C. Shakespeare was very well educated for man of his class in Stratford-upon-Avon.
D. In the Elizabethan era, it was uncommon for any writer to bequeath his works to another.
E. Shakespeare scholars are now convinced that William Shakespeare was actually illiterate.

2) Based on its use in paragraph 1, it can be inferred that which of the following accurately describes
a misnomer?
 A. A popular new restaurant serves a unique brand of frozen yogurt, though most regard this as
ordinary ice cream.
B. Although the alligator is often confused with the crocodile, they actually share numerous
striking differences.
C. Contrary to popular belief, the center of most pencils is actually composed of graphite, not
"lead."
D. Five years have passed since the school burned down; yet, the school crossing sign still
stands on the side of the street.
E. While many believe the diamond to be real, it is, in fact, a Cubic Zirconia and has little to no
value.

3) As used in the passage, Verona and Elsinore are most likely examples of

A. settings of Shakespearean plays

B. places Shakespeare imagined to exist
C. European towns to which nobility would have traveled
D. locations of famous schools in Europe
E. cities in England in which plays were not performed

4) Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main point?

A. The authorship controversy surrounding Shakespeare relies on faulty reasoning and improper
inferences.
B. To believe that anyone but Shakespeare wrote his plays requires a keen insight and an active
imagination.
C. All available evidence points heavily in favor of Shakespeare having written the plays
attributed to him.
D. The question of who authored the Shakespearean plays is worth asking but impossible to
answer.
E. Shakespeare himself used a penname because he was not sophisticated enough to have
written his plays.

5) On which of the following statements would both the author and the authorship theorists most
likely agree?

A. A lot can be gleaned about the life of an author by reading his or her works.
B. An artist who was not formally trained cannot possibly be the artist of a work of advanced
technique or skill.
C. All works of art should be judged in a historical context.
D. It is important to know for certain who wrote an important text.
E. In order to write successfully on a subject, it cannot be foreign to the author.

6) As used in paragraph 2, the word specious most nearly means

 A. fantastic
B. classified
C. baseless
D. phony
E. ridiculous

7) The main purpose of this passage is to

A. argue a claim
B. analyze several viewpoints
C. juxtapose fact and conjecture
D. refute a line of reasoning
E. dismiss a hypothesis

8) The the passage asks, "isn’t it more important that we understand the drama than the
dramaturge?" What do you think? Is it important to know who wrote something? If we were to
discover that someone besides William Shakespeare wrote all of his plays, would it change the way
you read them or thought about them? Explain your answer.
 Answers and Explanations

1) D
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The author makes a few arguments, but his or her principle argument is that the so-called
“authorship controversy” is completely fabricated. To prove this point, the author gives several
reasons that one should not believe that anyone other than Shakespeare wrote his plays. In the first
paragraph, the author simply states that it is implausible to believe anyone other than Shakespeare
wrote the plays, and in the second paragraph, he or she argues specific assumptions the theorists
use that are not true. These include the belief that Elizabethan England is similar to our modern
world and the faulty assumption that an author can only write what he or she knows. Specifically, the
author states that theorists assume that “because Shakespeare’s will did not mention his plays, it
would be implausible for him to be the author.” The author disagrees with this point, which could be
strengthened by including information proving that such behavior was not atypical in the era.
Therefore, choice (D) is correct.

Though the author does list the Earl of Oxford as someone others have suggested wrote
Shakespeare’s plays, merely disproving that Oxford wrote the plays would not strengthen the
author’s overall claim that the “authorship controversy” is completely fabricated. Thus, choice (A) is
incorrect.

The author makes the point that “the experiences Shakespeare wrote about are universal,” meaning
it does not matter what the biography of Shakespeare includes. Thus, it would not matter whether or
not Shakespeare ever traveled, making choice (B) incorrect.

The author makes the point that “the experiences Shakespeare wrote about are universal,” meaning
it does not matter what the biography of Shakespeare includes. Thus, it would not matter whether or
not Shakespeare was well educated or not, making choice (C) incorrect.

The author’s main argument is that the “authorship controversy” surrounding Shakespeare is
complete malarkey, as there is no question Shakespeare wrote his plays. Suggesting that
Shakespeare was illiterate would suggest that he did not write the plays, though, so choice (E) would
actually weaken, not strengthen, the author’s argument.

2) C
Core Standard: Craft and Structure

misnomer (noun): a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation.

One can ascertain the meaning of a certain word by using context clues. In the passage, the author
calls “the so-called ‘authorship controversy’” a “misnomer.” By using the phrase “so-called,” the
author implies that he or she does not agree with the term, meaning the author feels the “authorship
controversy” is labeled properly. The author makes this abundantly clear in the next sentence when
he or she suggests it is only a controversy if the meaning of “controversy” is altered. Thus, it can be
assumed that a misnomer is something that is improperly named. The author implies that the
“authorship controversy” would be better labeled “the authorship ludicrous conspiracy theory.” Of the
answer choices, only one suggests that something is misnamed. Choice (C) is the correct choice,
then, as it describes something—in this case “graphite”—being mislabeled.

Frozen yogurt is not the same product as ice cream, and having others think a product is something
else is not the same as mislabeling it. Therefore, choice (A) does not provide an example of a
misnomer. In order to be a misnomer, the so-called “frozen yogurt” would actually have to be ice
cream, not just thought of as ice cream.

Alligators and crocodiles are two different species, which is why they have two different names.
Choice (B) is, therefore, incorrect, since it does not provide an example of a misnomer. If, for
instance, an alligator were called a “North American crocodile,” then the alligator’s name would be a
misnomer.

Something cannot be a misnomer if it existed at one point in time. Thus, the situation described in
choice (D) is not an example of a misnomer. A misnomer has to involve the improper labeling of
something, but keeping a school crossing sign up does not label anything.

Merely believing something is actually some other thing does not suggest a misnomer. A misnomer
has to be something that is improperly labeled. Thus, choice (E) is not correct, since it describes a
belief about a stone, not the way the stone is labeled.

3) A
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The author states that other assume “there is no way [Shakespeare] could’ve written about Verona
and Elsinore,” because he “was not cosmopolitan.” Since Verona and Elsinore are mentioned as
places Shakespeare supposedly could not possibly have written about, it would follow that they are
settings of Shakespearean plays, making choice (A) correct.

Though the passage does suggest that Shakespeare wrote about Verona and Elsinore, it does not
imply that they did not exist. Rather, the passage implies the opposite, since authorship theorists
believe that Shakespeare could not have written about Verona and Elsinore without actually having
visited them. Thus, choice (B) is incorrect.

The passage does imply that Verona and Elsinore are real cities, but it does not provide any
indication that they would’ve been visited by anyone. Rather, the passage states that authorship
theorists claim that Shakespeare himself would’ve needed to visit those cities to write about them.
This is not the same as claiming that noblemen would’ve been likely to visit them, though, making
choice (C) incorrect.

The passage does suggest that Shakespeare was not well educated and did not travel to Verona or
Elsinore, but it does not imply that Verona or Elsinore contained famous schools. Such a claim
distorts two separate claims made by authorship theorists. Thus, choice (D) is incorrect.
Finally, the passage gives no indication that Verona and Elsinore are English cities, as the passage
instead implies they are cities Shakespeare did not visit. Choice (E) is incorrect, then, as the
passage does not even imply that the cities in question contained theaters.

4) A
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The first sentence of the passage provides the author’s main argument, as he or she calls the
so-called “authorship controversy” “a disagreement between one sane group and one group
propagating ludicrous conspiracy theories.” The author goes on to mention that “there is simply no
credible proof that a man other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon authored the plays
attributed to him.” To make this point, the author gives several reasons that one should not believe
that anyone other than Shakespeare wrote his plays. In the first paragraph, the author simply states
that it is implausible to believe anyone other than Shakespeare wrote the plays, and in the second
paragraph, he or she argues specific assumptions the theorists use that are not true. Thus, the
author’s main point is that the “controversy” relies on faulty reasoning and improper inferences or
assumptions, making choice (A) correct.

The author does argue that one would have to be creative to imagine anyone but Shakespeare
wrote his plays, because the author alleges that such a belief requires “one strain the very limits of
plausibility.” However, choice (B) is incorrect because it sounds positive. The author would not say
that an authorship theorist would have a “keen insight” or an “active imagination” so much as he or
she would say that an authorship theorist is just plain mad.

The author of the passage clearly believes that Shakespeare wrote the plays attributed to him, but
he or she spends most of the passage disproving the notion that someone else wrote the plays
rather than proving the fact that Shakespeare wrote them. Thus, choice (C), though it states
something the author probably agrees with, is incorrect.

The author makes it clear that he or she does not believe the authorship controversy to be a worthy
question to ask, since it is primarily “a disagreement between one sane group and one group
propagating ludicrous conspiracy theories.” Thus, choice (D) is incorrect, as it would imply that the
author supports the idea of questioning Shakespeare’s authorship.

The author calls the “so-called ‘authorship controversy’” “a disagreement between one sane group
and one group propagating ludicrous conspiracy theories.” Thus, there is no way that his or her main
argument is that anyone other than Shakespeare wrote the plays. Choice (E) is completely incorrect.

5) E
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The passage states that authorship theorists assume that “an author’s only source of information is
his own background and studies” and that, because Shakespeare was not well educated or worldly,
he could not have written his plays. The author counters this by arguing that “the experiences
Shakespeare wrote about are universal,” so he “did know the drama” behind them. While this may
seem to be a fundamental disagreement between the author and the theorists, in fact it shows they
agree on something: Anything an author writes about has to be something he or she knows or
understands. For the theorists, this is more literal: They argue that a man can only write about
locations he’s visited and knowledge he’s been taught. For the author, a writer must understand the
experiences or feelings he or she is writing about. Nevertheless, both would agree that a subject
cannot be completely foreign to a writer, making choice (E) correct.

Neither the theorists nor the author claim that one can learn something about the biography of a
writer by reading the writer’s works. Rather, the theorists suggest that a biography of a writer can
prove or disprove authorship, something with which the author of the passage disagrees. Therefore,
choice (A) is incorrect.

The authorship theorists might agree with the claim that a piece of art that shows advanced skill
could only be created by an artist with formal training, but the author of the passage would not agree
with that. After all, the author alleges that Shakespeare, a man who was not formally trained to write,
wrote some of the best-loved literature of all time. Therefore, choice (B) is incorrect.

The author of the passage makes the suggestion that authorship theorists are wrong for assuming
that Shakespeare’s world was much like our own. Thus, he or she might argue that works of art (or
at least facts about artists) should be looked at in a historical context, but there is no indication the
authorship theorists would agree. Thus, choice (C) is incorrect.

While the crux of authorship theory would implicitly state that who authored a work is important, this
is not directly stated in the passage. Additionally, the author states that it is “more important that we
understand the drama than the dramaturge,” clearly implying that the work of an author is more
important the author himself or herself. Thus, choice (D) is incorrect.

6) C
Core Standard: Craft and Structure

specious (adjective): apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing.

The meaning of a word can be found by using context clues in the passage. In the passage, the
author states that the belief that Shakespeare could not have written the plays because of his own
background is “even more specious.” The author uses the next sentence to explain why this theory
is incorrect, writing that “the experiences Shakespeare wrote about are universal.” The phrase “even
more specious” also implies that the author has already referred to another theory as specious.
Earlier in the paragraph, in fact, the author refers to the will issue as being “implausible.” This means
he or she must also consider the “conviction” implausible. Since the author believes the theory is
improper and implausible, “specious” must likewise imply that the author believes the theory is
unwarranted, implausible, or baseless. Therefore, choice (C) is correct.

The author makes it clear that he or she does not ascribe to the belief that Shakespeare could not
have written the plays because of Shakespeare’s own education and travel experience. Fantastic
would imply that something is imagined but in a positive way. The author actually means to state that
the “conviction” about Shakespeare’s background is ludicrous and in no way positive. Thus, choice
(A) is incorrect.

The author does not imply that the “conviction” that Shakespeare could not have written his plays
because of his background is classified, or kept out of public knowledge. Rather, the author makes it
clear that this theory is well-known (otherwise, why would he or she even refute it?). Thus,
“specious” cannot mean “classified,” making choice (B) incorrect.

The author makes it clear that he or she does not ascribe to the belief that Shakespeare could not
have written the plays because of Shakespeare’s own education and travel experience. However,
the author does not imply that the “conviction” was itself phony, or fake. The belief, though
misguided according to the author, is very real. Thus, choice (D) is incorrect.

Though the author does seem to believe the “conviction” that Shakespeare could not have written
his plays because of his background is ridiculous, “specious” probably does not mean “ridiculous” in
context. The sentence containing “specious” states that the belief “is even more specious,” implying
that the author has already referred to something as specious, but the author never describes
something in the second paragraph as “ridiculous” or a synonym thereof. Thus, choice (E) is
incorrect.

7) D
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The first sentence of the passage provides the author’s main argument, as he or she calls the
so-called “authorship controversy” “a disagreement between one sane group and one group
propagating ludicrous conspiracy theories.” The author goes on to mention that “there is simply no
credible proof that a man other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon authored the plays
attributed to him.” To make this point, the author gives several reasons that one should not believe
that anyone other than Shakespeare wrote his plays. Thus, most of the passage is spent disproving
a theory rather than proving one. Therefore, choice (D) is correct.

The passage is primarily concerned with disproving the notion that anyone other than Shakespeare
wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Choice (A) is wrong because it would allege that the purpose of the
passage was to make an argument rather than to refute one.

The passage does not analyze several viewpoints. Rather, it disproves one. Therefore, choice (B) is
incorrect.

The author of the passage does dispute many of the conjectures made by authorship theorists, but
he or she does not compare them to fact. In actuality, though, the author never provides a single
fact, making choice (C) incorrect.

A hypothesis is a supposition based on limited evidence that is used a starting point for further
investigation. The passage does not treat the authorship controversy like a hypothesis and instead
treats it as a rival claim. Thus, the passage does not “dismiss a hypothesis,” as dismissing a
hypothesis would only be done in light of an experiment or additional evidence. The author does not
use evidence to make his or claim, instead depending on reasoning. Thus, choice (E) is incorrect.