Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

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

Melancholy

Contemplation

Penance

Mirth
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?

Mirth

Fantasy

Vain deluding joys

Melancholy
3 Who is Orpheus?

The Greek name for Melancholy

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

The goddess who guides "Il Penseroso"

One of the peasants the speaker sees in the fields
4 What does the speaker argue in "Il Penseroso"?

That the best life to live is the life of politics

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 joy
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?

As a small child

In the middle of his political career

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 listening to music at a church

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker finding a friend

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

An artistic temperment

Business

A life of joy

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

"Il Alleg"

"L'Alleger"

"L'Allegro"

"Il Legro"
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 attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker guiding a lost traveler

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

Cambridge

Harvard

Oxford

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

Orpheous

Hecuba

Persephone

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

Epic Poetry

History Play

Free verse

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

Saturn and Vesta

Zephyr and Aurora

Zeus and Leda

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

The sun

A star

A bird

The moon
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?

The speaker writes a play

The speaker travels to another country

The speaker studies in a tower

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

Music

Comedy

Dance

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

At the top of a mountain

The shade

In the sunlight

By a pond
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.

Night

Birds

Cries

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

Comus

Paradise Lost

The Canterbury Tales

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

Joy

Revelry

Music

Quiet
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.

Student

Dancer

Teacher

Nun
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 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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