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?
Fantasy

Melancholy

Vain deluding joys

Mirth
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 joy

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
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?
In the middle of his political career

As a small child

At the end of his career

While studying at Cambridge
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?
No

There is no debate

It's unclear

Yes
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?
With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker listening to music at a church

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

A life of joy

An artistic temperment

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 in business

That the best life to live is the life of study

That the best life to live is the life of silence
11 Which scene occurs in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker guiding a lost traveler

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

Oxford

University of London

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

Orpheous

Persephone

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

Free verse

Classical hymn

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

Saturn and Vesta

Zephyr and Aurora

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

The moon

The sun

A bird
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker studies in a tower

The speaker attends a party

The speaker travels to another country

The speaker writes a play
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?
Dance

Music

Comedy

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

At the top of a mountain

By a pond

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

Night

Cries

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

The Canterbury Tales

Comus

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

Quiet

Joy

Revelry
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.
Dancer

Nun

Teacher

Student
24 Melancholy walks with ___.
Small steps

Reckless speed

Even step

Galloping Gait
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?
In the sky

At the top of a mountain

In secret shades

In a marital bed

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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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