Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
The Town Down The River

Richard Cory

The Torrent and the Night Before

Captain Craig
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1910

1909

1904

1903
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edgar Allen Poe

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A history buff

A time traveler

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?
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

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

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edgar Allen Poe

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

He wants to collect antiques

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He has trouble making friends
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(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

(noun) contempt, derision, or great dislike of 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

Medieval times

The Renaissance

Classical 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:
Head Tide, Maine

Tilnbury Town

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Tilbury Town
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?
Medieval-style romance

Poetry

Romantic fiction

Classical literature
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
A friend at the bar

Cheevy himself

A colleague

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story
14 What is the dominant meter?
None; the poem is written in free verse

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

Iambic pentameter

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

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Neutral, Naïve

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic
17 What is personified in the poem?
Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry

Romance and Art

Dissatisfaction
18 Who are the Medici?
A powerful Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and later Tuscany for most of the period between 1434 and 1737

Italian Renaissance artists

The pope during Robinson's times

Italian-American gangsters
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?
The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed

Thebes and Camelot

Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus
20 What is significant about the phrase "the ripe renown?"
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 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.
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. The alcohol helps him feel better.

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?
Cheevy

The literary tastes of the period

The poet

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

The British military

A terrible sense of fashion

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

Unattainable glory

The pleasures of reading

Thebes and Camelot
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"
Having fun in the city, or enjoying a date with a loved one

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 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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