Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

1 Who does the speaker choose as his guide in "Il Penseroso?"

Mirth

Melancholy

Penance

Contemplation
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?

Mirth

Fantasy

Melancholy

Vain deluding joys
3 Who is Orpheus?

The goddess who guides "Il Penseroso"

One of the peasants the speaker sees in the fields

The Greek name for Melancholy

A shepherd who tried to lead his wife out of the underworld
4 What does the speaker argue in "Il Penseroso"?

That the best life to live is the life of sadness

That the best life to live is the life of contemplation

That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of politics
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?

While studying at Cambridge

As a small child

At the end of his career

In the middle of his political career
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?

There is no debate

No

It's unclear

Yes
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker studying in a tower

With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker listening to music at a church
8 During the Renaissance, people associated Melancholy with ____

An artistic temperment

Festivals

A life of joy

Business
9 What is the name of the companion poem to "Il Penseroso"?

"Il Legro"

"Il Alleg"

"L'Allegro"

"L'Alleger"
10 What does the speaker argue for in "L'Allegro"?

That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of study

That the best life to live is the life of silence

That the best life to live is the life in business
11 Which scene occurs in "Il Penseroso"?

The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker listening to birds in the forest

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker guiding a lost traveler
12 Where did Milton attend school?

Cambridge

Harvard

University of London

Oxford
13 Which character from Greek mythology does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?

Persephone

Orpheous

Zeus

Hecuba
14 Which genre does Milton draw from in "Il Penseroso"?

Classical hymn

Epic Poetry

History Play

Free verse
15 Who does the speaker say gave birth to Melancholy?

Zeus and Hecuba

Zeus and Leda

Zephyr and Aurora

Saturn and Vesta
16 The speaker compares ___ to a lost traveler.

A star

A bird

The moon

The sun
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?

The speaker travels to another country

The speaker studies in a tower

The speaker writes a play

The speaker attends a party
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?

Music

Comedy

Dance

Tragedy
19 Where does the speaker go to sleep during the day?

The shade

In the sunlight

By a pond

At the top of a mountain
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.

Music

Night

Cries

Birds
21 Which work does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?

Paradise Lost

The Canterbury Tales

Comus

King Lear
22 The speaker calls a group of muses including ____.

Music

Quiet

Revelry

Joy
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.

Student

Teacher

Dancer

Nun
24 Melancholy walks with ___.

Even step

Reckless speed

Galloping Gait

Small steps
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?

In the sky

At the top of a mountain

In a marital bed

In secret shades

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Study Guide for Il Penseroso

Il Penseroso study guide contains a biography of John Milton, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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