To Penshurst Quizzes

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

The lady of the house

The house

Jonson's patron

The king
2 Who was Sir Robert Sidney?

Jonson's father

Jonson's friend

Jonson's neighbor

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

The hospitality of the lord and lady

The goodness of the children

The beauty of the architecture

The quality of the land
4 What is Jonson alluding to in the opening of "To Penshurst"?

Catholic churches in Europe

Sidney's other estates

The temple of Solomon

The king's palace
5 How does Jonson depict the relationship between Sidney and his neighbors?

Envious

Resentful

Affectionate

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

As a fool

As a member of the family

As a prophet

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

As more powerful

As less wealthy

As more superficial

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

The ode

The patronage poem

The heroic couplet

The country-house poem
9 In what sense is "To Penshurst" giving advice?

Jonson encourages Sidney to continue to be a true nobleman

Jonson warns Sidney against selling Penshurst

Jonson encourages Sidney to pay him more money

Jonson encourages Sidney to build a more spectacular house
10 Why was Penshurst less visually impressive than other aristocratic homes?

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

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

The Sidneys had been too cheap to hire a good architect
11 How does Jonson respond to Penshurst's unfashionable appearance?

He says true beauty is more important than trends

He attempts to conceal it

He argues that architectural beauty is not that important

He argues that it was once in fashion
12 What pattern established in the opening does the line "Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air" disrupt?

Use of metaphors

Addressing various houses

Syntactical order

Use of negations
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 suggest that Sidney is tyrannical

To emphasize Sidney's natural place at the top of the hierarchy
14 What is the "Great Chain of Being"?

A natural hierarchy of all living things

The natural stages in a person's life

The bonds that connect all people with one another

The bonds that connect people with God
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 a sign of the Sidney's political importance

As an inconvenience

As a show of disrespect

As an honor
17 What does Penshurst symbolize?

The wisdom of God

The decline of England

The rivalry between Jonson and Sidney

Sir Robert's character
18 What does the line "His children thy great lord may call his own" imply?

Sir Robert is wealthy enough to merit being a father

Other noblemen can't be sure their wives are faithful

Sir Robert can claim anyone in the community as a son

Sir Robert's children aren't his own biologically
19 Who is the speaker in "To Penshurst"?

The lady

Sir Robert

Jonson himself

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

Free verse

Heroic couplets

Sonnet sequence

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

Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse

Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

Thou hast thy walks for health, as well as sport

Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row
23 Which of the following best replaces "copse" in "Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse"

Patch of trees

Clearing

Police

Favorite spot
24 Which of the following does Sidney personify?

The animals of Penshurst

Penshurst itself

The fruit trees

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

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

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.

To Penshurst

by Ben Jonson

To Penshurst "To Penshurst"

To Penshurst Questions and Answers

Study Guide for To Penshurst