Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
The Torrent and the Night Before

Richard Cory

The Town Down The River

Captain Craig
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1904

1909

1910

1903
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edgar Allen Poe

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A dreamer who is laughed at by society

A time traveler

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

A history buff
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
Edgar Allen Poe

Edwin Arlington Robinson

William Faulkner

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He has trouble making friends

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He feels he is an anachronism

He wants to collect antiques
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something

(noun) contempt, derision, or great dislike of 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

Classical times

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

The fashion: medieval armor

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The chance to become king
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Tilnbury Town

Tilbury Town

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

Poetry

Classical literature

Romantic fiction
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
Cheevy himself

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

A colleague

A friend at the bar
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 mourned Romance, now on the town" (Line 15)

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Neutral, Naïve

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad
17 What is personified in the poem?
History and Chivalry

Romance and Art

Dissatisfaction

Books and Drinks
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?
Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Thebes and Camelot

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 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.

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.
21 What is revealed at the end of the poem?
Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. The alcohol helps him feel better.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.

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?
Cheevy

The poet

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

The literary tastes of the period
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?
Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military

The job Cheevy hates

The British military

A terrible sense of fashion
24 What is a motif in the poem?
The pleasures of reading

Thebes and Camelot

Unattainable glory

Alcoholism
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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