Miniver Cheevy Quizzes

Miniver Cheevy Quiz

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

The Torrent and the Night Before

Captain Craig

The Town Down The River
2 When was The Town Down The River published?
1909

1903

1904

1910
3 Who is the author of "Miniver Cheevy?"
Edward Arlington Robinson

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Edgar Arlington Robinson

Edgar Allen Poe
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?
Theodore Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt
6 Which real figure is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Cheevy?
An anonymous man from the town where the poet grew up

Edgar Allen Poe

William Faulkner

Edwin Arlington Robinson
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 has trouble making friends

He wants to collect antiques
8 What does "scorn" mean?
(adjective) to show contempt, derision, or great dislike to someone or something

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

(noun) to make a concerted or violent attack on

(verb) to make a concerted or violent attack on
9 Which era does Cheevy specifically long for?
Medieval times

The Renaissance

Classical times

His longing for the past is not confined to one time period or place
10 What about the past does Cheevy most long for?
The perception of greatness: the opportunity for heroism and renown

To have known great historical figures

The chance to become king

The fashion: medieval armor
11 Though the setting is not explicitly specified, many scholars have placed this poem in:
Tilbury Town

Scholars have not identified the setting of the poem

Head Tide, Maine

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

Medieval-style romance

Romantic fiction

Poetry
13 Who is the speaker or narrator?
A friend at the bar

Cheevy himself

A colleague

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

None; the poem is written in free verse

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

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)

"And Art, a vagrant" (Line 16

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

"...he assailed the seasons" (Line 2)
16 Which best defines the tone of the poem?
Ironic, Pessimistic, Parodic

Celebratory, Poignant, Peaceful

Melancholic, Lingering, Sad

Neutral, Naïve
17 What is personified in the poem?
Romance and Art

Dissatisfaction

Books and Drinks

History and Chivalry
18 Who are the Medici?
Italian Renaissance artists

Italian-American gangsters

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

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.

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. 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. Being at the bar helps Cheevy make friends.
22 What does the poem satirize?
Cheevy, the poet, and the literary tastes of the period

The poet

Cheevy

The literary tastes of the period
23 What does a khaki suit symbolize?
The job Cheevy hates

A terrible sense of fashion

The British military

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

Alcoholism

The pleasures of reading

Unattainable glory
25 What does it mean to be "on the town?"
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

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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