Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?

The Town Down The River

Captain Craig

The Torrent and the Night Before

Richard Cory
2 When was The Town Down The River published?

1909

1910

1904

1903
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edwin Arlington Robinson
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?

A time traveler

A history buff

A dreamer who is laughed at by society

A troubled but comic character who wishes he had been born in a different era
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?

William Faulkner

Edgar Allen Poe

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edwin Arlington Robinson
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He wants to collect antiques

He feels he is an anachronism

He has trouble making friends
8 What does "scorn" mean?

(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

(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something
9 Which era does Cheevy specifically long for?

His longing for the past is not confined to one time period or place

The Renaissance

Medieval times

Classical times
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?

The fashion: medieval armor

The chance to become king

To have known great historical figures

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:

Tilnbury Town

Tilbury Town

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Head Tide, Maine
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?

Classical literature

Romantic fiction

Medieval-style romance

Poetry
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

Cheevy himself

A friend at the bar

A colleague
14 What is the dominant meter?

The second and fourth lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

None; the poem is written in free verse

The first and third lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter
15 Which is an example of alliteration?

"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

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

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Neutral, Naïve

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful
17 What is personified in the poem?

Books and Drinks

Romance and Art

History and Chivalry

Dissatisfaction
18 Who are the Medici?

Italian Renaissance artists

The pope during Robinson's times

Italian-American gangsters

A powerful Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and later Tuscany for most of the period between 1434 and 1737
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?

Thebes and Camelot

Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed
20 What is significant about the phrase "the ripe renown?"

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 the body odor that occurs when soldiers wore iron clothing or khaki suits.

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. He uses alcohol to cope with his physically taxing labor.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.
22 What does the poem satirize?

The literary tastes of the period

The poet

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

Cheevy
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?

The job Cheevy hates

The British military

A terrible sense of fashion

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military
24 What is a motif in the poem?

Unattainable glory

The pleasures of reading

Thebes and Camelot

Alcoholism
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"

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

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

Miniver Cheevy

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

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