Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

1 Who does the speaker choose as his guide in "Il Penseroso?"

Mirth

Penance

Melancholy

Contemplation
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?

Fantasy

Melancholy

Vain deluding joys

Mirth
3 Who is Orpheus?

One of the peasants the speaker sees in the fields

A shepherd who tried to lead his wife out of the underworld

The goddess who guides "Il Penseroso"

The Greek name for Melancholy
4 What does the speaker argue in "Il Penseroso"?

That the best life to live is the life of sadness

That the best life to live is the life of contemplation

That the best life to live is the life of politics

That the best life to live is the life of joy
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?

In the middle of his political career

As a small child

While studying at Cambridge

At the end of his career
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?

It's unclear

There is no debate

No

Yes
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?

With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker studying in a tower

With the speaker listening to music at a church

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest
8 During the Renaissance, people associated Melancholy with ____

An artistic temperment

A life of joy

Festivals

Business
9 What is the name of the companion poem to "Il Penseroso"?

"Il Alleg"

"Il Legro"

"L'Allegro"

"L'Alleger"
10 What does the speaker argue for in "L'Allegro"?

That the best life to live is the life in business

That the best life to live is the life of study

That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of silence
11 Which scene occurs in "Il Penseroso"?

The speaker guiding a lost traveler

The speaker listening to birds in the forest

The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare
12 Where did Milton attend school?

Oxford

Cambridge

University of London

Harvard
13 Which character from Greek mythology does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?

Orpheous

Zeus

Persephone

Hecuba
14 Which genre does Milton draw from in "Il Penseroso"?

Classical hymn

History Play

Free verse

Epic Poetry
15 Who does the speaker say gave birth to Melancholy?

Zeus and Hecuba

Zephyr and Aurora

Saturn and Vesta

Zeus and Leda
16 The speaker compares ___ to a lost traveler.

A bird

The sun

The moon

A star
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?

The speaker writes a play

The speaker studies in a tower

The speaker attends a party

The speaker travels to another country
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?

Comedy

Dance

Tragedy

Music
19 Where does the speaker go to sleep during the day?

By a pond

In the sunlight

At the top of a mountain

The shade
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.

Cries

Music

Birds

Night
21 Which work does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?

The Canterbury Tales

Paradise Lost

King Lear

Comus
22 The speaker calls a group of muses including ____.

Quiet

Joy

Music

Revelry
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.

Teacher

Nun

Student

Dancer
24 Melancholy walks with ___.

Even step

Galloping Gait

Reckless speed

Small steps
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?

At the top of a mountain

In the sky

In a marital bed

In secret shades

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Il Penseroso study guide contains a biography of John Milton, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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