Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

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

Captain Craig

Richard Cory

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

1910

1903

1909
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

Edward Arlington Robinson
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A time traveler

A history buff

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

A dreamer who is laughed at by society
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?
Kermit Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

William Faulkner

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He has trouble making friends

He wants to collect antiques

He feels he is an anachronism
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?
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 chance to become king

To have known great historical figures

The fashion: medieval armor

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Tilbury Town

Head Tide, Maine

Tilnbury Town

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

Romantic fiction

Medieval-style romance

Poetry
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

Cheevy himself

A friend at the bar

A colleague
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)

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

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)
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?
Books and Drinks

Romance and Art

Dissatisfaction

History and Chivalry
18 Who are the Medici?
Italian Renaissance artists

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
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?
Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Thebes and Camelot

Mesopotamia and Carthage

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. 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. 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. The alcohol helps him feel better.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.
22 What does the poem satirize?
The literary tastes of the period

The poet

Cheevy

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

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military

The British military

The job Cheevy hates
24 What is a motif in the poem?
Alcoholism

Unattainable glory

Thebes and Camelot

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

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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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