To Penshurst Quizzes

1 Who does the speaker address in "To Penshurst"?

The house

Jonson's patron

The king

The lady of the house
2 Who was Sir Robert Sidney?

Jonson's father

Jonson's patron

Jonson's friend

Jonson's neighbor
3 Which of the following is NOT something Jonson praises Penshurst for?

The hospitality of the lord and lady

The quality of the land

The goodness of the children

The beauty of the architecture
4 What is Jonson alluding to in the opening of "To Penshurst"?

The temple of Solomon

Catholic churches in Europe

The king's palace

Sidney's other estates
5 How does Jonson depict the relationship between Sidney and his neighbors?

Envious

Affectionate

Equal

Resentful
6 How does the poet depict himself within the poem?

As a fool

As a prophet

As a member of the family

As an advisor
7 How does Jonson characterize other aristocrats in comparison to Sidney?

As less wealthy

As less intelligent

As more superficial

As more powerful
8 What genre did Jonson invent with "To Penshurst"?

The country-house poem

The heroic couplet

The ode

The patronage poem
9 In what sense is "To Penshurst" giving advice?

Jonson encourages Sidney to continue to be a true nobleman

Jonson encourages Sidney to pay him more money

Jonson warns Sidney against selling Penshurst

Jonson encourages Sidney to build a more spectacular house
10 Why was Penshurst less visually impressive than other aristocratic homes?

It had been built gradually, so the plan was not unified

The Sidneys had been too cheap to hire a good architect

The Sidneys were less wealthy, so could not achieve the same grandeur

The Sidneys chose to build a humble home to fit in with the neighbors
11 How does Jonson respond to Penshurst's unfashionable appearance?

He argues that it was once in fashion

He attempts to conceal it

He argues that architectural beauty is not that important

He says true beauty is more important than trends
12 What pattern established in the opening does the line "Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air" disrupt?

Syntactical order

Use of metaphors

Use of negations

Addressing various houses
13 Why might Jonson suggest that Sidney's animals give themselves up willingly?

To emphasize Sidney's natural place at the top of the hierarchy

To prove that animals are foolish

To show that the poem is meant to be satirical

To suggest that Sidney is tyrannical
14 What is the "Great Chain of Being"?

The natural stages in a person's life

The bonds that connect people with God

The bonds that connect all people with one another

A natural hierarchy of all living things
15 Why does Jonson emphasize that Sidney's neighbors bring gifts?

To prove that everyone in the community is wealthy

To show off his knowledge of consumer goods

To show that the Sidneys don't have everything

To show that Sidney is at home in the community
16 How does Jonson depict the arrival of the king?

As an honor

As a sign of the Sidney's political importance

As an inconvenience

As a show of disrespect
17 What does Penshurst symbolize?

The rivalry between Jonson and Sidney

The wisdom of God

Sir Robert's character

The decline of England
18 What does the line "His children thy great lord may call his own" imply?

Sir Robert's children aren't his own biologically

Sir Robert can claim anyone in the community as a son

Sir Robert is wealthy enough to merit being a father

Other noblemen can't be sure their wives are faithful
19 Who is the speaker in "To Penshurst"?

A houseguest

Jonson himself

The lady

Sir Robert
20 What is the form of "To Penshurst"?

Free verse

Heroic couplets

Sonnet sequence

Rhyme royal
21 What is the meter of "To Penshurst"?

Trochaic pentameter (each line is made up of five pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable)

Iambic tetrameter (each line is made up of four pairs of one unstressed and one stressed syllable)

Iambic pentameter (each line is made up of five pairs of one unstressed and one stressed syllable)

Trochaic tetrameter (each line is made up of four pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable)
22 Which of the following contains alliteration?

Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row

Thou hast thy walks for health, as well as sport

Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse
23 Which of the following best replaces "copse" in "Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse"

Favorite spot

Clearing

Police

Patch of trees
24 Which of the following does Sidney personify?

The fruit trees

The animals of Penshurst

Penshurst itself

The other houses in the area
25 Which of the following is most obviously an example of hyperbole?

Thy copse too, named of Gamage, thou hast there, / That never fails to serve thee seasoned deer

The blushing apricot and woolly peach / Hang on thy walls, that every child may reach.

With all their zeal to warm their welcome here. / What (great I will not say, but) sudden cheer

Bright eels that emulate them, and leap on land/Before the fisher, or into his hand.

To Penshurst

by Ben Jonson

To Penshurst "To Penshurst"

To Penshurst Questions and Answers

Study Guide for To Penshurst