Truth (Chaucer poem) Quizzes

Truth (Chaucer poem) "Truth"

1 Which work is Geoffrey Chaucer best known for?
The Revelations of Divine Love

The Canterbury Tales

Truth

On the Consolation of Philosophy
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 sincere and religious

It is written in verse
3 Which line most specifically suggests the specific audience of "Truth"?
Let your thing suffice, though it be small

Rule well yourself, who others advise here

Therefore, La Vache, cease your old wretchedness

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

French

German

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

Urgent, almost panicked

Frustrated, even angry

Measured and rational
6 Which literary device does Chaucer most extensively employ in the first stanza?
Figurative language

Parallel sentence structure

Allusion

Alliteration
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

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

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

The speaker gives good advice but does not follow it
8 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "the crooked" in line 8?
People with crooked spines

Dishonest people

Misled people

Wealthy people
9 Who is "her who wobbles like a ball"?
The heavens

A fat woman

The earth

Philip's lover
10 Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of "busyness" in line 10?
Work for the sake of work

Domestic 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?
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?
Metaphor

Alliteration

Apostrophe

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?
The speaker

The world

Wealth

Sir Philip
15 Which of the following is NOT a similarity between stanza one and stanza two?
Both employ a similar tone

Both discuss similar things

Both use figurative language

Both use parallel sentence structure
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 forget English customs and values on your travels

Don't delude yourself into forgetting the flaws of your country

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 try to change the world, just go along with everyone else

Conform your actions to Christian religious law

Retain control of the actions of those in your realm

Don't get lost on your travels
19 Which of the following did NOT influence "Truth"?
On the Misery of the Human Condition by Pope Innocent III

The Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

On the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

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

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

Let your thing suffice, though it be small

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

ababaaa

ababbcc

abababb
23 What is the "envoy"?
An addendum added by another poet to summarize the poem

A concluding stanza that summarizes the poem and identifies its addressee

A satirical conclusion that undermines the preceding stanzas

A messenger who arrives and interrupts the speaker
24 Which line of the final stanza is slightly at odds with the preceding stanzas?
To the world cease now to be in thrall

And truth shall deliver you, have no fear

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?
The poem increasingly emphasizes God's power over Philip

God is equally important throughout

The poem urges an increasingly intimate relationship with God

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

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)…