Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?

Richard Cory

The Town Down The River

The Torrent and the Night Before

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

1910

1903

1909

1904
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

Edwin Arlington Robinson

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?

Theodore Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Franklin D. 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

Edgar Allen Poe

Edwin Arlington Robinson
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?

He has trouble making friends

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He feels he is an anachronism

He wants to collect antiques
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?

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

To have known great historical figures

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The chance to become king
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:

Tilbury Town

Tilnbury Town

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Head Tide, Maine
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?

Romantic fiction

Poetry

Classical literature

Medieval-style romance
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

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

None; the poem is written in free verse
15 Which is an example of alliteration?

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

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

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?

Neutral, Naïve

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

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

Romance and Art

Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry

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?

Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Thebes and Camelot

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 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. 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.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.
22 What does the poem satirize?

Cheevy

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

The poet

The literary tastes of the period
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?

A terrible sense of fashion

The job Cheevy hates

The British military

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

Unattainable glory

Thebes and Camelot

The pleasures of reading

Alcoholism
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 looking for a significant other

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

Study Guide for Miniver Cheevy