To Penshurst Quizzes

1 Who does the speaker address in "To Penshurst"?

The king

Jonson's patron

The lady of the house

The house
2 Who was Sir Robert Sidney?

Jonson's friend

Jonson's father

Jonson's neighbor

Jonson's patron
3 Which of the following is NOT something Jonson praises Penshurst for?

The quality of the land

The hospitality of the lord and lady

The beauty of the architecture

The goodness of the children
4 What is Jonson alluding to in the opening of "To Penshurst"?

Catholic churches in Europe

The king's palace

Sidney's other estates

The temple of Solomon
5 How does Jonson depict the relationship between Sidney and his neighbors?

Affectionate

Equal

Resentful

Envious
6 How does the poet depict himself within the poem?

As a member of the family

As a prophet

As a fool

As an advisor
7 How does Jonson characterize other aristocrats in comparison to Sidney?

As more powerful

As less wealthy

As less intelligent

As more superficial
8 What genre did Jonson invent with "To Penshurst"?

The heroic couplet

The country-house poem

The patronage poem

The ode
9 In what sense is "To Penshurst" giving advice?

Jonson warns Sidney against selling Penshurst

Jonson encourages Sidney to build a more spectacular house

Jonson encourages Sidney to continue to be a true nobleman

Jonson encourages Sidney to pay him more money
10 Why was Penshurst less visually impressive than other aristocratic homes?

It had been built gradually, so the plan was not unified

The Sidneys had been too cheap to hire a good architect

The Sidneys chose to build a humble home to fit in with the neighbors

The Sidneys were less wealthy, so could not achieve the same grandeur
11 How does Jonson respond to Penshurst's unfashionable appearance?

He argues that architectural beauty is not that important

He says true beauty is more important than trends

He argues that it was once in fashion

He attempts to conceal it
12 What pattern established in the opening does the line "Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air" disrupt?

Syntactical order

Addressing various houses

Use of negations

Use of metaphors
13 Why might Jonson suggest that Sidney's animals give themselves up willingly?

To suggest that Sidney is tyrannical

To emphasize Sidney's natural place at the top of the hierarchy

To prove that animals are foolish

To show that the poem is meant to be satirical
14 What is the "Great Chain of Being"?

The bonds that connect all people with one another

The bonds that connect people with God

A natural hierarchy of all living things

The natural stages in a person's life
15 Why does Jonson emphasize that Sidney's neighbors bring gifts?

To show that the Sidneys don't have everything

To show that Sidney is at home in the community

To show off his knowledge of consumer goods

To prove that everyone in the community is wealthy
16 How does Jonson depict the arrival of the king?

As an inconvenience

As an honor

As a sign of the Sidney's political importance

As a show of disrespect
17 What does Penshurst symbolize?

The wisdom of God

The decline of England

Sir Robert's character

The rivalry between Jonson and Sidney
18 What does the line "His children thy great lord may call his own" imply?

Sir Robert's children aren't his own biologically

Sir Robert can claim anyone in the community as a son

Sir Robert is wealthy enough to merit being a father

Other noblemen can't be sure their wives are faithful
19 Who is the speaker in "To Penshurst"?

Sir Robert

Jonson himself

The lady

A houseguest
20 What is the form of "To Penshurst"?

Free verse

Sonnet sequence

Rhyme royal

Heroic couplets
21 What is the meter of "To Penshurst"?

Iambic pentameter (each line is made up of five pairs of one unstressed and one stressed syllable)

Iambic tetrameter (each line is made up of four pairs of one unstressed and one stressed syllable)

Trochaic pentameter (each line is made up of five pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable)

Trochaic tetrameter (each line is made up of four pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable)
22 Which of the following contains alliteration?

Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse

Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row

Thou hast thy walks for health, as well as sport
23 Which of the following best replaces "copse" in "Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse"

Police

Patch of trees

Clearing

Favorite spot
24 Which of the following does Sidney personify?

The fruit trees

Penshurst itself

The animals of Penshurst

The other houses in the area
25 Which of the following is most obviously an example of hyperbole?

With all their zeal to warm their welcome here. / What (great I will not say, but) sudden cheer

The blushing apricot and woolly peach / Hang on thy walls, that every child may reach.

Bright eels that emulate them, and leap on land/Before the fisher, or into his hand.

Thy copse too, named of Gamage, thou hast there, / That never fails to serve thee seasoned deer

To Penshurst

by Ben Jonson

To Penshurst "To Penshurst"

To Penshurst Questions and Answers

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