Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

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

Melancholy

Mirth

Penance

Contemplation
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?

Vain deluding joys

Melancholy

Fantasy

Mirth
3 Who is Orpheus?

One of the peasants the speaker sees in the fields

The goddess who guides "Il Penseroso"

The Greek name for Melancholy

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

That the best life to live is the life of politics

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

While studying at Cambridge

As a small child

At the end of his career

In the middle of his political career
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?

Yes

It's unclear

No

There is no debate
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker listening to music at a church

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

An artistic temperment

Festivals

Business

A life of joy
9 What is the name of the companion poem to "Il Penseroso"?

"L'Alleger"

"Il Alleg"

"L'Allegro"

"Il Legro"
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 guiding a lost traveler

The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker listening to birds in the forest
12 Where did Milton attend school?

Oxford

Harvard

University of London

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

Persephone

Zeus

Orpheous

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

Epic Poetry

Free verse

History Play

Classical hymn
15 Who does the speaker say gave birth to Melancholy?

Saturn and Vesta

Zeus and Hecuba

Zephyr and Aurora

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

The sun

A star

The moon

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

The speaker travels to another country

The speaker attends a party

The speaker writes a play

The speaker studies in a tower
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?

Comedy

Dance

Music

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

The shade

By a pond

In the sunlight

At the top of a mountain
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.

Music

Cries

Night

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

Comus

The Canterbury Tales

Paradise Lost

King Lear
22 The speaker calls a group of muses including ____.

Music

Quiet

Revelry

Joy
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.

Teacher

Student

Dancer

Nun
24 Melancholy walks with ___.

Even step

Reckless speed

Galloping Gait

Small steps
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?

In the sky

In secret shades

In a marital bed

At the top of a mountain

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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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