Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

1 What collection was this poem originally published in?
Captain Craig

Richard Cory

The Torrent and the Night Before

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

1904

1909

1903
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edward Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
4 Which best describes the character of Miniver Cheevy?
A time traveler

A history buff

A troubled but comic character who wishes he had been born in a different era

A dreamer who is laughed at by society
5 Who did Robinson dedicate The Town Down The River to?
Eleanor Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
William Faulkner

Edgar Allen Poe

Edwin Arlington Robinson

An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up
7 What is the source of Cheevy's troubles?
He has trouble making friends

He feels he is an anachronism

He wants to collect antiques

He wishes he had the money to buy khakis
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something

(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

Medieval times

The Renaissance

Classical times
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?
To have known great historical figures

The chance to become king

The fashion: medieval armor

The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Tilbury Town

Head Tide, Maine

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

Romantic fiction

Medieval-style romance

Poetry
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
A colleague

Cheevy himself

Unidentified third-person narrator telling Cheevy's story

A friend at the bar
14 What is the dominant meter?
The first and third lines of each stanza are written in iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

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?
"Miniver loved the days of old" (Line 5)

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

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Neutral, Naïve

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful
17 What is personified in the poem?
Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry

Dissatisfaction

Romance and Art
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

Italian-American gangsters

Italian Renaissance artists

The pope during Robinson's times
19 Which ancient societies does Cheevy dream of?
Mesopotamia and Carthage

Thebes and Camelot

The Garden of Eden and the Islands of the Blessed

Atlantis and Mount Olympus
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. The alcohol helps him feel better.

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

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.

Cheevy drinks to drown his sorrows. His dreams are self delusions.
22 What does the poem satirize?
The literary tastes of the period

The poet

Cheevy, the poet, and the literary tastes of the period

Cheevy
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?
The British military

A terrible sense of fashion

The job Cheevy hates

Hard work, participation in society, and specifically the military
24 What is a motif in the poem?
Thebes and Camelot

Unattainable glory

The pleasures of reading

Alcoholism
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"
Having fun in the city, or enjoying a date with a loved one

Working in the city, or having a splendid affair

Having fun in the city, or having an adulterous affair

Working in the city, or looking for a significant other

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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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