Canterbury Tales Prologue Multiple Choice - Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement

or answers the question. Comprehension - The questions below refer to the selection The Prologue from The Canterbury Tales. ____ 1. In The Prologue, Chaucers main objective is to a. analyze religious customs c. introduce his cast of characters b. reveal the narrators thoughts d. describe a London inn 2. In the opening lines of The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, the narrator a. criticizes chivalry. c. attacks the corruption in the Church. b. rejoices in the renewing cycle of life. d. establishes the ideal of the Renaissance man. 3. The pilgrims are traveling to Canterbury because a. the shrine of St. Thomas Becket is there b. they want to escape the plague that is attacking London c. the innkeeper has dared them to make the journey d. it is part of a longer tour of England 4. The pilgrims agree to tell tales during the journey to a. preserve their stories for the future b. win a free meal and entertain one another c. reduce fighting and bickering d. teach the innkeeper a lesson about pride

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____ 5. You know the Cooks dishes may not be quite as appetizing as might be hoped when Chaucer mentions that the Cook a. refuses to consult recipe books c. adds too much salt to his cake b. has a large, festering sore d. burns everything he makes ____ 6. The Wife of Bath is a a. pious churchgoer and religious teacher b. well-traveled vendor of fine silk clothing c. veteran of several pilgrimages and marriages d. widow of a prosperous doctor in Bath 7. The character in The Canterbury Tales who most closely resembles Chaucer himself is the a. innkeeper c. Knight b. narrator d. Merchant 8. In describing the individual pilgrims, Chaucer begins with the a. Knight c. Pardoner b. Wife of Bath d. innkeeper 9. The unworldly student who prefers philosophy to riches is the a. Merchant c. Oxford Cleric b. Franklin d. Reeve 10. The Haberdasher, the Dyer, the Carpenter, the Weaver, and the Carpet-maker are all a. members of the clergy c. skilled members of crafts guilds b. landowners d. too poor to join the pilgrimage

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11. Which profession found among Chaucers pilgrims can still be found today? a. Reeve c. Pardoner b. Manciple d. Parson

____ 12. In The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrim whose profession gives him a special love of gold is the a. Parson. c. Doctor. b. Summoner. d. Franklin. Literary Focus: Characterization The questions below refer to the selection The Prologue from The Canterbury Tales. ____ 13. Chaucers characterization a. uses the same basic techniques that writers use today b. is based on dialogue rather than action c. never shows the reader what the character is feeling d. shows the characters as basic types rather than as believable individuals ____ 14. The member of the clergy given the most admiring, flattering description is the a. Parson c. Nun b. Friar d. Monk ____ 15. Which of the following quotations from The Prologue is the best example of imagery? a. Thinly they fell, like rat-tails, one by one. b. In fifteen mortal battles he had been. c. Just home from service, he had joined our ranks. d. Hed seen some service with the cavalry. ____ 16. In the opening lines of The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, the narrator a. criticizes chivalry. c. attacks the corruption in the Church. b. rejoices in the renewing cycle of life. d. establishes the ideal of the Renaissance man. _____ 17. Chaucers Wife of Bath is a. shy. c. patient. b. independent. d. humourless. _____ 18. In describing the Friar as a noble pillar to his Order, Chaucer uses a. epigram. c. irony. b. inversion. d. apostrophe. Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Details The question below refers to the selection The Prologue from The Canterbury Tales. ____ 19. Which detail is least directly connected to characterization? a. Dress c. Chronology b. Behavior d. Appearance ____ 20. The Canterbury Tales is structured as a a. parody. c. folk ballad. b. melodrama. d. frame story.

Constructed Response The question below refers to the selection The Prologue from The Canterbury Tales. Using the character that you created the Fakebook page for, analyze how Chaucers description his word choice and details reveals the character of the pilgrim. Then, discuss how the character represents English life in the Middle Ages. You may use your literature book for this. Write your answer below.

Canterbury Tales Prologue Answer Section MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. MATCHING 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. ANS: C ANS: D ANS: A ANS: E ANS: B OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: 12.3.6 (literary meanings of words and their usage), 12.3.10 (synonyms) 12.3.6 (literary meanings of words and their usage), 12.3.10 (synonyms) 12.3.6 (literary meanings of words and their usage), 12.3.10 (synonyms) 12.3.6 (literary meanings of words and their usage), 12.3.10 (synonyms) 12.3.6 (literary meanings of words and their usage), 12.3.10 (synonyms) ANS: C ANS: A ANS: B ANS: B ANS: C ANS: B ANS: A ANS: C ANS: C ANS: D ANS: A ANS: A ANS: A ANS: C OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: OBJ: 12.2.1.18 (determining the writer's purpose) 12.1.3.2 (character interactions) 12.1.3.2 (character interactions) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.2.1.10 (monitoring your reading / comprehension) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.3.1 (characterization) 12.1.9.18 (imagery) 12.1.3.1 (characterization), 12.2.1.5 (reading for details)

SHORT ANSWER 20. ANS: Students responses will vary. A sample response follows: My favorite character so far is the Nun, or Prioress. She is a worldly person despite her religious calling and exemplifies genteel daintiness and courtly manners. She is sentimental, loves fine dining, and has a romantic streak. The detail of her French speechin the Stratford style rather than the Parisian styledeftly shows her as an uppermiddle-class aspirant toward aristocracy. The long description of her table manners shows that spirituality is not

necessarily the dearest to her heart. Yet she is evidently a decent personshe speaks no strong oaths, and her sentimental weeping over animals pain does show a warm heart. The motto on her bracelet, Amor vincit omnia, hints that despite her vow of chastity, romantic longings are important to her. In short, she represents the kind of well-bred woman who, given the constrained opportunities available in the Middle Ages, entered the Church as a place of refuge and of sociopolitical advancement. She may have been genuine in her religious devotion but did not completely renounce worldly things. OBJ: 12.1.3.1 (characterization), 12.1.10.1 (Evaluate the philosophical political religious ethical and social influences of a historical period.), 12.1.9.10 (diction)