Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
Captain Craig

The Town Down The River

The Torrent and the Night Before

Richard Cory
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1910

1909

1904

1903
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
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

Eleanor Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

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

Edwin Arlington Robinson

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

William Faulkner
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He feels he is an anachronism

He has trouble making friends

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He wants to collect antiques
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(noun) 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

(verb) 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?
The fashion: medieval armor

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The chance to become king

To have known great historical figures
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Tilbury Town

Tilnbury Town

Head Tide, Maine

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?
Classical literature

Medieval-style romance

Romantic fiction

Poetry
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?
Iambic pentameter

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

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 assailed the seasons" (Line 2)

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

Neutral, Naïve

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

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

Dissatisfaction

Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry
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?
Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Mesopotamia and Carthage

The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed

Thebes and Camelot
20 What is significant about the phrase "the ripe renown?"
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.

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

The poet

Cheevy

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

The British military

The job Cheevy hates

A terrible sense of fashion
24 What is a motif in the poem?
Thebes and Camelot

Alcoholism

The pleasures of reading

Unattainable glory
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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