Who wins the bet between Katherine and Petruchio?

• A. Katherine
• B. Petruchio
• C. Katherine and Petruchio
• D. No one

Answer: (C)

This item tests how the play uses a wager to drive power and control in marriage and what the ending signals about that dynamic. Petruchio aims to tame Katherine, making her outwardly obedient and compliant, and by the final scenes his plan appears to succeed in shaping her behavior in public. At the same time, Katherine consciously accepts and articulates obedience within the marriage, which functions as her own form of validation and inclusion in the social order the play depicts. Because the bet rests on both partners achieving their aims—Petruchio gaining obedience and Katherine accepting the role—both characters come out having won in their own way. The alternative interpretations miss this joint resolution: focusing on one side alone ignores Petruchio’s success, or ignores Katherine’s public transformation and acceptance of the partnership. The ending thus supports that both have won.