Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?

Richard Cory

Captain Craig

The Torrent and the Night Before

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

1903

1910

1904

1909
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar 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?

Eleanor Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

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

Edgar Allen Poe

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

William Faulkner

Edwin Arlington Robinson
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?

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

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

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on
9 Which era does Cheevy specifically long for?

The Renaissance

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

Classical times

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

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The fashion: medieval armor

To have known great historical figures

The chance to become king
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

Medieval-style romance

Romantic fiction

Poetry
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?

A friend at the bar

A colleague

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

Cheevy himself
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?

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

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

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

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

Neutral, Naïve

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

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

Dissatisfaction

History and Chivalry

Books and Drinks

Romance and Art
18 Who are the Medici?

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

Italian Renaissance artists
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?

Thebes and Camelot

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed

Mesopotamia and Carthage
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. However, fruit can become overripe and spoil, a fact that is consistent with the way ancient civilizations fell.

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. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.

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.
22 What does the poem satirize?

The literary tastes of the period

Cheevy

The poet

Cheevy, the poet, and the literary tastes of the period
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?

A terrible sense of fashion

The British military

The job Cheevy hates

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

Thebes and Camelot

Unattainable glory

The pleasures of reading

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 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

Miniver Cheevy

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

Miniver Cheevy Questions and Answers

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