To Penshurst Quizzes

To Penshurst "To Penshurst"

1 Who does the speaker address in "To Penshurst"?
The lady of the house

Jonson's patron

The house

The king
2 Who was Sir Robert Sidney?
Jonson's neighbor

Jonson's friend

Jonson's father

Jonson's patron
3 Which of the following is NOT something Jonson praises Penshurst for?
The quality of the land

The beauty of the architecture

The goodness of the children

The hospitality of the lord and lady
4 What is Jonson alluding to in the opening of "To Penshurst"?
Sidney's other estates

Catholic churches in Europe

The temple of Solomon

The king's palace
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 an advisor

As a prophet

As a member of the family

As a fool
7 How does Jonson characterize other aristocrats in comparison to Sidney?
As more powerful

As less intelligent

As less wealthy

As more superficial
8 What genre did Jonson invent with "To Penshurst"?
The ode

The country-house poem

The heroic couplet

The patronage poem
9 In what sense is "To Penshurst" giving advice?
Jonson warns Sidney against selling Penshurst

Jonson encourages Sidney to pay him more money

Jonson encourages Sidney to continue to be a true nobleman

Jonson encourages Sidney to build a more spectacular house
10 Why was Penshurst less visually impressive than other aristocratic homes?
The Sidneys chose to build a humble home to fit in with the neighbors

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
11 How does Jonson respond to Penshurst's unfashionable appearance?
He argues that it was once in fashion

He says true beauty is more important than trends

He attempts to conceal it

He argues that architectural beauty is not that important
12 What pattern established in the opening does the line "Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air" disrupt?
Syntactical order

Addressing various houses

Use of negations

Use of metaphors
13 Why might Jonson suggest that Sidney's animals give themselves up willingly?
To prove that animals are foolish

To show that the poem is meant to be satirical

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

To suggest that Sidney is tyrannical
14 What is the "Great Chain of Being"?
The bonds that connect all people with one another

The natural stages in a person's life

The bonds that connect people with God

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 that the Sidneys don't have everything

To show that Sidney is at home in the community

To show off his knowledge of consumer goods
16 How does Jonson depict the arrival of the king?
As an inconvenience

As an honor

As a sign of the Sidney's political importance

As a show of disrespect
17 What does Penshurst symbolize?
Sir Robert's character

The decline of England

The wisdom of God

The rivalry between Jonson and Sidney
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

Other noblemen can't be sure their wives are faithful

Sir Robert is wealthy enough to merit being a father
19 Who is the speaker in "To Penshurst"?
Jonson himself

The lady

Sir Robert

A houseguest
20 What is the form of "To Penshurst"?
Heroic couplets

Free verse

Sonnet sequence

Rhyme royal
21 What is the meter of "To Penshurst"?
Trochaic tetrameter (each line is made up of four pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable)

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

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)
22 Which of the following contains alliteration?
Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse

Thou hast thy walks for health, as well as sport

Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row
23 Which of the following best replaces "copse" in "Fertile of wood, Ashore and Sidney’s copse"
Favorite spot

Police

Patch of trees

Clearing
24 Which of the following does Sidney personify?
The animals of Penshurst

The fruit trees

Penshurst itself

The other houses in the area
25 Which of the following is most obviously an example of hyperbole?
Bright eels that emulate them, and leap on land/Before the fisher, or into his hand.

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

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

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

To Penshurst Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for To Penshurst is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for To Penshurst

To Penshurst study guide contains a biography of Ben Jonson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for To Penshurst…