To Penshurst Quizzes

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

The house

Jonson's patron

The king

The lady of the house
2 Who was Sir Robert Sidney?

Jonson's father

Jonson's patron

Jonson's friend

Jonson's neighbor
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 goodness of the children

The beauty of the architecture
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?

Envious

Equal

Resentful

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

As a prophet

As an advisor

As a fool

As a member of the family
7 How does Jonson characterize other aristocrats in comparison to Sidney?

As less wealthy

As more powerful

As more superficial

As less intelligent
8 What genre did Jonson invent with "To Penshurst"?

The heroic couplet

The country-house poem

The ode

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

Jonson encourages Sidney to pay him more money

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
10 Why was Penshurst less visually impressive than other aristocratic homes?

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

The Sidneys were less wealthy, so could not achieve the same grandeur

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
11 How does Jonson respond to Penshurst's unfashionable appearance?

He argues that architectural beauty is not that important

He argues that it was once in fashion

He says true beauty is more important than trends

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

Use of metaphors

Use of negations

Addressing various houses
13 Why might Jonson suggest that Sidney's animals give themselves up willingly?

To prove that animals are foolish

To show that the poem is meant to be satirical

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

To suggest that Sidney is tyrannical
14 What is the "Great Chain of Being"?

A natural hierarchy of all living things

The bonds that connect all people with one another

The natural stages in a person's life

The bonds that connect people with God
15 Why does Jonson emphasize that Sidney's neighbors bring gifts?

To show off his knowledge of consumer goods

To prove that everyone in the community is wealthy

To show that Sidney is at home in the community

To show that the Sidneys don't have everything
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 decline of England

The rivalry between Jonson and Sidney

Sir Robert's character

The wisdom of God
18 What does the line "His children thy great lord may call his own" imply?

Sir Robert can claim anyone in the community as a son

Sir Robert's children aren't his own biologically

Other noblemen can't be sure their wives are faithful

Sir Robert is wealthy enough to merit being a father
19 Who is the speaker in "To Penshurst"?

A houseguest

Sir Robert

The lady

Jonson himself
20 What is the form of "To Penshurst"?

Heroic couplets

Rhyme royal

Free verse

Sonnet sequence
21 What is the meter of "To Penshurst"?

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

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

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

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

Thou hast thy walks for health, as well as sport

Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row

Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse
23 Which of the following best replaces "copse" in "Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse"

Clearing

Patch of trees

Police

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?

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

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

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

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

To Penshurst

by Ben Jonson

To Penshurst "To Penshurst"

To Penshurst Questions and Answers

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