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 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"?

Therefore, La Vache, cease your old wretchedness

Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness

Let your thing suffice, though it be small

Rule well yourself, who others advise here
4 What is the original language of "Truth"?

French

German

Middle English

Old English
5 What is the tone of the first stanza?

Measured and rational

Frustrated, even angry

Cynical, ironic

Urgent, almost panicked
6 Which literary device does Chaucer most extensively employ in the first stanza?

Alliteration

Figurative language

Parallel sentence structure

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

The speaker gives good advice but does not follow it

He who seeks good things on earth will only make his life worse

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

Sir Philip wants to rule others, but cannot even rule himself
8 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "the crooked" in line 8?

People with crooked spines

Misled people

Wealthy people

Dishonest people
9 Who is "her who wobbles like a ball"?

A fat woman

Philip's lover

The heavens

The earth
10 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "busyness" in line 10?

Having a great deal to do

Difficult but necessary labor

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?

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

Metaphor

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

Mutually exclusive

Both necessary

Both impossible

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

Sir Philip

Wealth

The world

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

Both use figurative language

Both employ a similar tone

Both use parallel sentence structure

Both discuss similar things
16 Which of the following is most similar to the relationship between the speaker and the addressee?

Lover and beloved

Friends on equal terms

Enemies seeking to destroy each other

King and counsellor
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

Don't forget your family when you become powerful

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

Don't get lost on your travels

Conform your actions to Christian religious law

Retain control of the actions of those in your realm

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

On the Misery of the Human Condition by Pope Innocent III

De contemptu mundi by Bernard of Cluny

The Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

On the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius
20 Which of the following BEST describes the role of "contemptus mundi" in late medieval culture

Increasingly influential idea

Widely held belief

Fringe concept

Universally accepted dogma
21 Which of the following contains a pun on the name "la Vache"?

Beware therefore of kicking at an awl

Let your thing suffice, though it be small

Here’s not your home, here is but wilderness

Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beast, out of your stall!
22 What is the rhyme scheme of "Truth"?

abcabca

abababb

ababbcc

ababaaa
23 What is the "envoy"?

A satirical conclusion that undermines the preceding stanzas

A concluding stanza that summarizes the poem and identifies its addressee

An addendum added by another poet to summarize the poem

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

For yourself, and others, for heavenly cheer

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
25 How does the depiction of God change over the course of the poem?

The poem urges an increasingly intimate relationship with God

God is equally important throughout

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

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)…