Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
Richard Cory

Captain Craig

The Torrent and the Night Before

The Town Down The River
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1910

1904

1903

1909
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A troubled but comic character who wishes he had been born in a different era

A history buff

A dreamer who is laughed at by society

A time traveler
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
Edwin Arlington Robinson

William Faulkner

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edgar Allen Poe
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He feels he is an anachronism

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis

He wants to collect antiques

He has trouble making friends
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something

(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(noun) contempt, derision, or great dislike of someone or something

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on
9 Which era does Cheevy specifically long for?
His longing for the past is not confined to one time period or place

Classical times

Medieval times

The Renaissance
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?
The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

The fashion: medieval armor

To have known great historical figures

The chance to become king
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Tilnbury Town

Head Tide, Maine

Tilbury Town
12 What genre of literature became popular during Robinson's era?
Classical literature

Poetry

Romantic fiction

Medieval-style romance
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
Cheevy himself

A colleague

A friend at the bar

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story
14 What is the dominant meter?
Iambic pentameter

The first and third lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter

None; the poem is written in free verse

The second and fourth lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter
15 Which is an example of alliteration?
"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"He mourned Romance, now on the town" (Line 15)

"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Neutral, Naïve

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad
17 What is personified in the poem?
Romance and Art

Dissatisfaction

History and Chivalry

Books and Drinks
18 Who are the Medici?
A powerful Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and later Tuscany for most of the period between 1434 and 1737

The pope during Robinson's times

Italian-American gangsters

Italian Renaissance artists
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?
Mesopotamia and Carthage

Atlantis and Mount Olympus

Thebes and Camelot

The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed
20 What is significant about the phrase "the ripe renown?"
It evokes a ripe piece of fruit. However, fruit can become overripe and spoil, a fact that is consistent with the way ancient civilizations fell.

It evokes a ripe piece of fruit. Fruit is delicious and healthy, the way fame is good for a person.

The poet uses alliteration with the repeating "r" sound.

It evokes the body odor that occurs when soldiers wore iron clothing or khaki suits.
21 What is revealed at the end of the poem?
Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. He uses alcohol to cope with his physically taxing labor.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. The alcohol helps him feel better.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.
22 What does the poem satirize?
The poet

The literary tastes of the period

Cheevy

Cheevy, the poet, and the literary tastes of the period
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?
The British military

The job Cheevy hates

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military

A terrible sense of fashion
24 What is a motif in the poem?
Thebes and Camelot

The pleasures of reading

Alcoholism

Unattainable glory
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"
Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Having fun in the city, or enjoying a date with a loved one

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Miniver Cheevy study guide contains a biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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