Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?

Richard Cory

The Torrent and the Night Before

The Town Down The River

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

1909

1910

1904

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

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

Edward Arlington Robinson

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

A dreamer who is laughed at by society

A history buff

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

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

Kermit Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

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

William Faulkner

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?

He feels he is an anachronism

He wants to collect antiques

He has trouble making friends

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis
8 What does "scorn" mean?

(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on

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

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

Medieval times

Classical times

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

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:

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?

Medieval-style romance

Classical literature

Romantic fiction

Poetry
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?

Iambic pentameter

None; the poem is written in free verse

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

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 assailed the seasons" (Line 2)

"He mourned Romance, now on the town" (Line 15)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Neutral, Naïve

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

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

Romance and Art

Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry

Dissatisfaction
18 Who are the Medici?

Italian-American gangsters

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 Renaissance artists
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?

Thebes and Camelot

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Mesopotamia and Carthage

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

It evokes a ripe piece of fruit. Fruit is delicious and healthy, the way fame is good for a person.

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.
21 What is revealed at the end of the poem?

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.

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.
22 What does the poem satirize?

The literary tastes of the period

Cheevy

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

The poet
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?

The job Cheevy hates

A terrible sense of fashion

The British military

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

Unattainable glory

Alcoholism

Thebes and Camelot

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

Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

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

Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Miniver Cheevy

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

Miniver Cheevy Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Miniver Cheevy