Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?

The Torrent and the Night Before

Richard Cory

Captain Craig

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

1904

1909

1903

1910
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 dreamer who is laughed at by society

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

A history buff

A time traveler
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?

Kermit Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

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

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

William Faulkner

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

He wants to collect antiques

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He has trouble making friends

He feels he is an anachronism
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

Classical times

Medieval times

The Renaissance
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?

The fashion: medieval armor

The chance to become king

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

To have known great historical figures
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?

Medieval-style romance

Romantic fiction

Poetry

Classical literature
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

Cheevy himself

A colleague

A friend at the bar
14 What is the dominant meter?

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

Iambic pentameter

None; the poem is written in free verse

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

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

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

Romance and Art

History and Chivalry

Dissatisfaction

Books and Drinks
18 Who are the Medici?

Italian Renaissance artists

Italian-American gangsters

The pope during Robinson's times

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?"

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. 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. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. He uses alcohol to cope with his physically taxing labor.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.
22 What does the poem satirize?

The literary tastes of the period

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

Cheevy

The poet
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?

A terrible sense of fashion

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military

The job Cheevy hates

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

Unattainable glory

Thebes and Camelot

Alcoholism

The pleasures of reading
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

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

Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

Miniver Cheevy

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

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