Truth (Chaucer poem) Quizzes

Truth (Chaucer poem) "Truth"

1 Which work is Geoffrey Chaucer best known for?

The Revelations of Divine Love

On the Consolation of Philosophy

The Canterbury Tales

Truth
2 In what sense is "Truth" uncharacteristic of Chaucer's work?

It is written for a courtly audience

It does not employ any wordplay or figurative language

It is written in verse

It is sincere and religious
3 Which line most specifically suggests the specific audience of "Truth"?

Rule well yourself, who others advise here

Therefore, La Vache, cease your old wretchedness

Let your thing suffice, though it be small

Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness
4 What is the original language of "Truth"?

Old English

Middle English

French

German
5 What is the tone of the first stanza?

Cynical, ironic

Measured and rational

Urgent, almost panicked

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

Figurative language

Parallel sentence structure

Alliteration

Allusion
7 Which of the following best describes the irony of the first stanza?

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

The speaker gives good advice but does not follow it

Sir Philip wants to rule others, but cannot even rule himself

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

Wealthy people

Misled people

People with crooked spines
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?

Difficult but necessary labor

Having a great deal to do

Domestic work

Work for the sake of work
11 What does the metaphor "kicking at an awl" imply about trying to make the world a better place?

To change the world, you must also take on risk

The world will not affect you, nor you it

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

The world is delicate and you must not be violent with it
12 Which literary device does NOT appear in the second stanza?

Apostrophe

Alliteration

Metaphor

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

Mutually dependent

Both necessary

Mutually exclusive

Both impossible
14 What does the crockery represent in line 22?

Wealth

Sir Philip

The world

The speaker
15 Which of the following is NOT a similarity between stanza one and stanza two?

Both discuss similar things

Both use parallel sentence structure

Both employ a similar tone

Both use figurative language
16 Which of the following is most similar to the relationship between the speaker and the addressee?

Enemies seeking to destroy each other

Lover and beloved

King and counsellor

Friends on equal terms
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 your family when you become powerful

Don't forget English customs and values on your travels

Remember that your real home is heaven
18 What does the speaker mean when he tells the addressee to "hold the high way"

Conform your actions to Christian religious law

Retain control of the actions of those in your realm

Don't get lost on your travels

Don't try to change the world, just go along with everyone else
19 Which of the following did NOT influence "Truth"?

On the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

On the Misery of the Human Condition by Pope Innocent III

The Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

De contemptu mundi by Bernard of Cluny
20 Which of the following BEST describes the role of "contemptus mundi" in late medieval culture

Universally accepted dogma

Fringe concept

Increasingly influential idea

Widely held belief
21 Which of the following contains a pun on the name "la Vache"?

Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness

Beware therefore of kicking at an awl

Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beast, out of your stall!

Let your thing suffice, though it be small
22 What is the rhyme scheme of "Truth"?

abababb

abcabca

ababaaa

ababbcc
23 What is the "envoy"?

A satirical conclusion that undermines the preceding stanzas

An addendum added by another poet to summarize the poem

A concluding stanza that summarizes the poem and identifies its addressee

A messenger who arrives and interrupts the speaker
24 Which line of the final stanza is slightly at odds with the preceding stanzas?

And truth shall deliver you, have no fear

To the world cease now to be in thrall

Cry Him mercy, that out of his high goodness

For yourself, and others, for heavenly cheer
25 How does the depiction of God change over the course of the poem?

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

The poem increasingly emphasizes God's power over Philip

The poem urges an increasingly intimate relationship with God

God is equally important throughout

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