Truth (Chaucer poem) Quizzes

Truth (Chaucer poem) "Truth"

1 Which work is Geoffrey Chaucer best known for?
The Canterbury Tales

On the Consolation of Philosophy

Truth

The Revelations of Divine Love
2 In what sense is "Truth" uncharacteristic of Chaucer's work?
It is written for a courtly audience

It is sincere and religious

It does not employ any wordplay or figurative language

It is written in verse
3 Which line most specifically suggests the specific audience of "Truth"?
Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness

Therefore, La Vache, cease your old wretchedness

Rule well yourself, who others advise here

Let your thing suffice, though it be small
4 What is the original language of "Truth"?
Middle English

Old English

French

German
5 What is the tone of the first stanza?
Cynical, ironic

Urgent, almost panicked

Measured and rational

Frustrated, even angry
6 Which literary device does Chaucer most extensively employ in the first stanza?
Allusion

Figurative language

Alliteration

Parallel sentence structure
7 Which of the following best describes the irony of the first stanza?
Sir Philip wants to rule others, but cannot even rule himself

The speaker gives good advice but does not follow it

Sir Philip thinks he is such a good person, but he is actually selfish and judgmental

He who seeks good things on earth will only make his life worse
8 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "the crooked" in line 8?
Dishonest people

People with crooked spines

Wealthy people

Misled people
9 Who is "her who wobbles like a ball"?
The earth

A fat woman

Philip's lover

The heavens
10 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "busyness" in line 10?
Domestic work

Work for the sake of work

Difficult but necessary labor

Having a great deal to do
11 What does the metaphor "kicking at an awl" imply about trying to make the world a better place?
The world is delicate and you must not be violent with it

The world will injure you if you try to fight against it

To change the world, you must also take on risk

The world will not affect you, nor you it
12 Which literary device does NOT appear in the second stanza?
Alliteration

Simile

Apostrophe

Metaphor
13 Fill in the blank: The line "control yourself, who would control your peer" casts self-control and power as:
Both impossible

Both necessary

Mutually exclusive

Mutually dependent
14 What does the crockery represent in line 22?
Sir Philip

Wealth

The speaker

The world
15 Which of the following is NOT a similarity between stanza one and stanza two?
Both use figurative language

Both use parallel sentence structure

Both discuss similar things

Both employ a similar tone
16 Which of the following is most similar to the relationship between the speaker and the addressee?
King and counsellor

Friends on equal terms

Lover and beloved

Enemies seeking to destroy each other
17 What does the speaker mean when he tells his addressee to "know your country"?
Don't delude yourself into forgetting the flaws of your country

Don't forget English customs and values on your travels

Remember that your real home is heaven

Don't forget your family when you become powerful
18 What does the speaker mean when he tells the addressee to "hold the high way"
Don't try to change the world, just go along with everyone else

Retain control of the actions of those in your realm

Don't get lost on your travels

Conform your actions to Christian religious law
19 Which of the following did NOT influence "Truth"?
On the Misery of the Human Condition by Pope Innocent III

On the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

De contemptu mundi by Bernard of Cluny

The Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
20 Which of the following BEST describes the role of "contemptus mundi" in late medieval culture
Universally accepted dogma

Increasingly influential idea

Fringe concept

Widely held belief
21 Which of the following contains a pun on the name "la Vache"?
Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beast, out of your stall!

Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness

Let your thing suffice, though it be small

Beware therefore of kicking at an awl
22 What is the rhyme scheme of "Truth"?
ababbcc

ababaaa

abcabca

abababb
23 What is the "envoy"?
A satirical conclusion that undermines the preceding stanzas

A messenger who arrives and interrupts the speaker

An addendum added by another poet to summarize the poem

A concluding stanza that summarizes the poem and identifies its addressee
24 Which line of the final stanza is slightly at odds with the preceding stanzas?
To the world cease now to be in thrall

Cry Him mercy, that out of his high goodness

And truth shall deliver you, have no fear

For yourself, and others, for heavenly cheer
25 How does the depiction of God change over the course of the poem?
The poem urges an increasingly intimate relationship with God

God becomes less and less important as Philip moves away from the true path

God is equally important throughout

The poem increasingly emphasizes God's power over Philip

Truth (Chaucer poem) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Truth (Chaucer poem) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Truth (Chaucer poem)

Truth (Chaucer poem) study guide contains a biography of Geoffrey Chaucer, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Truth (Chaucer poem)…