The following questions are based on the description of the pardoner in the General Prologue, pages 21 – 22.
1. The line “I judge he was a gelding, or a mare” implies what about the pardoner?
a. He has many features which appear similar to a horse
b. He speaks in a high voice, which reminds the narrator of a horse
c. He has a feminine appearance and mannerisms
d. He is sneaky and underhanded
2. From the context of the passage, what does “prevarication” mean?
a. Lies
b. Boasts
c. Insults
d. Figures of speech
3. The narrator’s overall attitude toward the pardoner can be described as:
a. Disinterested observation
b. Respectful approval
c. Bitter anger
d. Comical disapproval
4. What are we told about the pardoner’s relics?
a. The relics are genuine, but many people do not believe that they are
b. The relics are fake, but many people believe them to be real
c. The relics are fake, but everyone realizes that they are fake
d. The relics are genuine, and everyone believes them to be real
5. What is the pardoner’s primary motivation for his actions in church?
a. Religious devotion – he wishes to help the congregation
b. Mischievousness – he wishes to “make monkeys” of the congregation
c. Greed – he wishes to get money from the congregation
d. Attention – he wishes to have the attention of the audience while he gives his sermon
For my passage, I used the Reeve's description in the prologue on pages 19 and 20.
1. In the line "He kept his bins and garners very trim," -- what are bins and garners?
a. hair and beard
b. barrels of animal products
c. collections and accumulations of items
d. the hair and wool on his livestock
2. The author's description of the Reeve is
a. sarcastic; the Reeve is actually a bitter know-it-all
b. funny; the Reeve is a comical character that entertains the others
c. dark; the Reeve is mean and has cruel intentions
d. praising; the Reeve is an honest and admirable man
3. "He wore an overcoat of bluish shade
And rather long; he had a rusty blade
slung at his side" -- this passage serves to
a. give an in-depth look at the Reeve's character
b. show that the Reeve is a humble character
c. say that the Reeve was a Union soldier
d. explain that the Reeve does not fight
4. "Feared like the plague he was," is an example of what literary device?
a. Simile
b. Allusion
c. Metaphor
d. Hyperbole
5. What is the meaning of the word "sward"?
a. another weapon like a sword
b. something like a pond
c. a porch-like veranda
d. a grassy surface
For questions 6-15 look at the passage written on the Pardoner in the general prologue (Pgs. 21 – 22)
6. After reading the entire passage, the description of “a gentle Pardoner” is:
a. True, because the Pardoner would never physically harm someone
b. True, because the Pardoner is kind-hearted and generous
c. False, because the Pardoner is physically abusive
d. False, because the Pardoner is deceitful in how he obtains money
7. “This Pardoner had hair as yellow as wax” is an example of which literary device?
a. Metaphor
b. Simile
c. Alliteration
d. Assonance
8. “For in his trunk he had a pillow case
Which he asserted was Our Lady’s veil” is an example of which literary device?
a. Anthropomorphism
b. Circumlocution
c. Hyperbole
d. Allusion
9. “In one short day, in money down he drew
More than the parson in a month or two” This part of the passage serves to do what?
a. Demonstrate the lucrative nature of the Pardoner’s work
b. Show how poor the Parson is
c. Show that the Pardoner work’s harder than the Parson
d. Show that the Pardoner is a better person than the Parson
10. The description of the Pardoner’s preaching style (starting with “He’d have to preach and tune,” ending with “so merrily and loud”) shows what about the Pardoner?
a. The Pardoner knows how to manipulate a crowd to gain money
b. The Pardoner is a talented singer
c. The Pardoner has a zest for life that he shows through song
d. The Pardoner combines preaching and song to reach a youthful audience
11. Judging from the rest of the passage, the description of the Pardoner in the first line, “a gentle Pardoner”, most closely refers to what?
a. The Pardoner’s sneaky ways of obtaining money
b. The Pardoner’s feminine appearance and characteristics
c. The Pardoner’s sensitive ways in which he preaches and sings
d. The way in which the Pardoner would never physically hurt anyone
12. What literary term best describes the lines, “This Pardoner had hair as yellow as wax, Hanging down smoothly like a hank of flax.”?
a. Metaphor
b. Hyperbole
c. Simile
d. Personification
13. At the bottom of page 20, in the line “I judge he was a gelding, or mare”, the words gelding and mare most likely refers to what?
a. The Pardoners hair
b. The Pardoner’s feminine aspects
c. The Pardoner’s voice
d. The Pardoner’s desire to travel
14. The line at the bottom of page 21 and the lines at the top of page 22, are most accurately trying to describe:
a. The Pardoner’s broad range of biblical knowledge
b. The Pardoner as being gullible
c. Others as being gullible
d. Ways in which the Pardoner uses deception
15. The last few lines which describe the pardoner are most likely trying to show that:
a. Although the Pardoner may earn his living unfairly, he is an excellent singer
b. Although the Pardoner may earn his living unfairly, he is an excellent preacher
c. He uses his strengths to get what he wants
d. Although he is deceptive, he still cares about his church