Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
Richard Cory

Captain Craig

The Town Down The River

The Torrent and the Night Before
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1910

1903

1909

1904
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A history buff

A time traveler

A troubled but comic character who wishes he had been born in a different era

A dreamer who is laughed at by society
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?
Eleanor Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

William Faulkner
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He wants to collect antiques

He has trouble making friends

He feels he is an anachronism
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(noun) contempt, derision, or great dislike of someone or something

(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on
9 Which era does Cheevy specifically long for?
His longing for the past is not confined to one time period or place

The Renaissance

Classical times

Medieval times
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?
To have known great historical figures

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The chance to become king

The fashion: medieval armor
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Tilbury Town

Head Tide, Maine

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Tilnbury Town
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?
Romantic fiction

Medieval-style romance

Poetry

Classical literature
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
A friend at the bar

A colleague

Cheevy himself

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story
14 What is the dominant meter?
None; the poem is written in free verse

The first and third lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

The second and fourth lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter
15 Which is an example of alliteration?
"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"He mourned Romance, now on the town" (Line 15)

"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Neutral, Naïve
17 What is personified in the poem?
Books and Drinks

Dissatisfaction

History and Chivalry

Romance and Art
18 Who are the Medici?
Italian Renaissance artists

A powerful Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and later Tuscany for most of the period between 1434 and 1737

The pope during Robinson's times

Italian-American gangsters
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?
The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed

Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Thebes and Camelot
20 What is significant about the phrase "the ripe renown?"
It evokes the body odor that occurs when soldiers wore iron clothing or khaki suits.

The poet uses alliteration with the repeating "r" sound.

It evokes a ripe piece of fruit. However, fruit can become overripe and spoil, a fact that is consistent with the way ancient civilizations fell.

It evokes a ripe piece of fruit. Fruit is delicious and healthy, the way fame is good for a person.
21 What is revealed at the end of the poem?
Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. The alcohol helps him feel better.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. He uses alcohol to cope with his physically taxing labor.
22 What does the poem satirize?
The poet

Cheevy, the poet, and the literary tastes of the period

The literary tastes of the period

Cheevy
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?
The job Cheevy hates

A terrible sense of fashion

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military

The British military
24 What is a motif in the poem?
The pleasures of reading

Alcoholism

Unattainable glory

Thebes and Camelot
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"
Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Having fun in the city, or enjoying a date with a loved one

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Miniver Cheevy study guide contains a biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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