Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

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

Penance

Mirth

Contemplation
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?
Vain deluding joys

Mirth

Melancholy

Fantasy
3 Who is Orpheus?
The Greek name for Melancholy

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"
4 What does the speaker argue in "Il Penseroso"?
That the best life to live is the life of contemplation

That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of politics

That the best life to live is the life of sadness
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?
In the middle of his political career

While studying at Cambridge

As a small child

At the end of his career
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?
There is no debate

Yes

It's unclear

No
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?
With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker listening to music at a church

With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker studying in a tower
8 During the Renaissance, people associated Melancholy with ____
A life of joy

An artistic temperment

Business

Festivals
9 What is the name of the companion poem to "Il Penseroso"?
"L'Allegro"

"Il Legro"

"L'Alleger"

"Il Alleg"
10 What does the speaker argue for in "L'Allegro"?
That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of silence

That the best life to live is the life in business

That the best life to live is the life of study
11 Which scene occurs in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker listening to birds in the forest

The speaker guiding a lost traveler

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude
12 Where did Milton attend school?
Oxford

University of London

Cambridge

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

Hecuba

Orpheous

Zeus
14 Which genre does Milton draw from in "Il Penseroso"?
Classical hymn

Free verse

Epic Poetry

History Play
15 Who does the speaker say gave birth to Melancholy?
Zeus and Hecuba

Zeus and Leda

Zephyr and Aurora

Saturn and Vesta
16 The speaker compares ___ to a lost traveler.
A bird

A star

The sun

The moon
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker travels to another country

The speaker writes a play

The speaker studies in a tower

The speaker attends a party
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?
Comedy

Tragedy

Music

Dance
19 Where does the speaker go to sleep during the day?
At the top of a mountain

The shade

By a pond

In the sunlight
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.
Night

Cries

Music

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

Paradise Lost

King Lear

The Canterbury Tales
22 The speaker calls a group of muses including ____.
Quiet

Music

Revelry

Joy
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.
Teacher

Nun

Student

Dancer
24 Melancholy walks with ___.
Even step

Galloping Gait

Small steps

Reckless speed
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?
In secret shades

At the top of a mountain

In the sky

In a marital bed

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Study Guide for Il Penseroso

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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