This quiz explores the nuances of 14th-century poetry and its poets, assessing understanding through questions on parables, poetry slams, and rhyme schemes. It tests knowledge on historical and contemporary poetic forms and their moral and aesthetic components.
Empty drink cans
Flashlight beams bouncing
A mere glow of coals
Deserted campsite
Using the names of real historical figures
Designing the setting of Hell
Writing in the narrative poetry format
Creating a philosophical musing essay
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Honesty, even in the face of personal loss
Adventure, even when you have to give up something costly
Wealth, especially the understanding that it is easily lost
Hard work, especially when living off the land
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An open front door
A locked closet
An empty refrigerator
A dark basement
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The setting is important because the story is told from the Roman poet Virgil's point of view as he is guiding another character through Hell
The setting is important because the organization of Hell into regions whose punishments perfectly match each sin reflects Dante's belief in an orderly universe
The setting is important because it provides suspense as to what level of Hell Dante will be condemned to after Virgil guides him to the bottom and then leaves
The setting is important because its layout resembles the landscape of Florence, which was Dante's home city before he was eventually exiled
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The development of the tragic genre
The use of frame narratives
The arrangement of poetry into stanzas
The growth of alliteration
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The main character is trying to navigate difficult life choices
The main character is hiding from a home intruder
The main character is looking for his or her missing child
The main character is learning to use a compass
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Comedy
Drama
Film
Direction
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The Minotaur jumping about
The Minotaur's wrath
The Minotaur seeing Dante and Virgil
Virgil crying out
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An elf, a human, and a gnome must come together to unite the Shards of Radaganadar.
A reporter tries to piece together the truth as she listens to three different plane-crash survivors tell their stories.
A detective discovers that the kidnapper she's been investigating is actually her other personality.
Two star-crossed lovers struggle to express their adoration for each other while their families fight a long-standing feud.
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Flashback
Parable
Imagery
End rhyme
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Dante is frightened by the demons wielding pitchforks
Dante meets his old teacher in Hell
Dante wanders from the clearly marked trail on his journey through the woods
Dante sees many of his enemies while he travels through Hell
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The demons' interactions with Lucifer
The people who are seen suffering in Hell
The course of the River Styx
The amount of time spent in each level of Hell
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Boniface Beneficios
White Guelphs
Ghibellines
Contrakirkos
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They simulated natural conversation
They lengthened the lines on the page
They made poems easier to memorize
They helped poems stand out from others
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It focuses on mostly religious topics
It tells the results of different people's good and bad behavior
It contains stories of superhuman gods.
It emphasizes the important events of a particular time period.
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Then he turned back along the filthy road / Without a word to us, but with the look / Of someone pressed and spurred by other cares. (Canto IX, lines 100 ? 102)
"And, if they lived before the Christian era, / They did not worship God in the right way: / And I myself [Virgil] am one of those poor souls." (Canto IV, lines 34 ? 39)
The water was far darker than black dye; / And we, escorted by the murky waves, / Started down on this strange passageway. (Canto VII, lines 103 ? 105)
Love of our native city touched my heart: / I bent and gathered up the scattered sprigs / And gave them back to him whose voice grew faint. (Canto XIV, lines 1 ? 3)
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The artist's personal history
The artist's skill level
The artist's history
What the artist hates or fears
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Dante believed that compassion should not be shown to suffering sinners
Dante believed that a sinner's punishment should be as severe as his sin
Dante believed that the best way to speak out against government is through violent protests
Dante believed that seeking fame will place a person among the sinners in hell
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Involvement in corrupt business practices
Lacking compassion for sinners
Participation in government offices
Punishing sinners unjustly
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To express the importance of school sports
To criticize the athletic department at a school
To teach a lesson about teamwork and determination
To warn readers about the negative aspects of team sports
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Broken pencil, balls of crumpled paper / Deadline tomorrow, homework failure
Frozen in an icy glare / Tangible anger in her stare
Chocolate lollipops and a heart-shaped balloon / "Be my valentine" they all croon
A love squandered, clock ticks taunt, / Misspoke words that still haunt
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The real Dante is kinder and more accepting of those with contrary beliefs
The real Dante is unsure of his religious beliefs and seeks to find those answers
The real Dante holds highly unfavorable views of his political enemies
The real Dante is an average man with whom many people can relate
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Each sinner that Dante encounters entreats him to tell his or her story on Earth
Dante and Virgil follow a map through Hell given to them by an angel
Good is always rewarded, and evil is always punished
Dante's entire account of visiting Hell is a dream sequence
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Homer
Caiaphas
Ulysses
Brutus
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Chaucer reserved parables for the monk because he considered them sacred
Chaucer's intent was to make fun of parables and the people who told them
Parables are a form of parody that indirectly criticizes some aspect of society
Parables cast animals as characters, which 14th century audiences found safe
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The playground echoed with giggles, high-pitched screams, and the screech of swings
Jennifer hoped that one day she could visit Paris and maybe London, too
Exactly four hours from now, you are to proceed to school
The teacher called the classroom to order as the principal entered
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Dante publicly spoke out against the pope's desire to rule the city-states.
Dante sold war secrets to a neighboring country who planned to assassinate the pope.
Dante was part of a secret organization that wanted to overthrow the government.
Dante participated in the burning of the Italian flag in protest of the government.
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Irritation
Anger
Apprehension
Excitement
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A sculpted character's physical appearance would be exaggerated
The audience's understanding of a sculpted character would be based solely on one moment in his or her life
The mood of the story or scene would become more serious
The artist's perspective would be more difficult to understand
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The setting is a make-believe world.
The story contains animal characters.
Characters have superhuman abilities.
The story contains a moral.
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Poetry is still valued over prose.
Poetic devices are still rarely used.
Poets generally use the same meter.
Poems are still often recited orally.
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A fairy godmother allows a beautiful young maiden the chance to attend the coronation of the handsome new king.
A farmer plants his seed, and then stays at home until harvest time. When he returns to his field at reaping time, he sees that the sun has scorched his crops.
A grumpy old donkey hides his money away and ignores his starving neighbor's pleas for food.
An evil witch entices two children to her candy garden and then tries to keep them as house slaves.
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He wanted to represent Christianity in a positive light but felt the state of the Church was too negative
He knew his audience would be larger if he wrote an entertaining story that wasn't too serious
He was not sure of his exact views on many Christian values, so he left room for personal interpretation
He wanted other writers to imitate his style of avoiding direct character conflict
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Bravely confronting the monsters of life
Tricking an enemy with a gift to win a war
Gaining political authority through church leadership
Using business practices to help the poor
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Dante and Virgil clearly had a complicated relationship
The sufferers that Dante encounters endure many punishments as a result of their sins
Dante believed demons are evil and ignorant, as shown by the scene in which they are tricked by a sinner
The author of the Inferno felt that sins were an everyday fact of life, but too many sins led to eternal suffering
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Positive influx of knowledge created by the Renaissance movement
Poor education and treatment of lower-class Roman citizens
The supportive system of medieval knighthood
Strong hostility toward the Catholic Church caused by papal rule
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Because many people still struggle with the age-old question of what it means to be a good person
Because the characters in the story are so well known in modern times
Because modern people don't view the church as the most powerful force of society like Dante's contemporaries did
Because its poetic form and language are still used widely among today's poets
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King Minos
The Minotaurs
An angel
Homer the poet
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They represent the most infamous sinners to ever live
They represent the number of days Satan lived in harmony with God
They represent the required actions needed to make it to Heaven
They represent the different levels of sin
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Those who won wars unfairly
Those who have betrayed their masters
Those who cheat others through unfair business dealings
Those who sought fame
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He knew Virgil was a respected writer and hoped people would consider his words wise
He missed his old teacher and wanted to immortalize him in his story
He hoped the story would appeal to the Greeks as well as the Italians
He wanted others to know he was a better poet than Virgil because he ended up in Hell
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And when men trust in her she then will fail / And cover her bright face as with a cloud.
Fortune indeed had so enhanced his pride / That verily he thought to take his stand
That there was nothing that Fortune could refuse him
For if good Fortune makes your friends for you
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Doré's paintings
Fiction stories
Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
A bronze sculpture
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Samson
Moses
Adam
Nebuchadnezzar
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Abcbdb
Abcdef
Abaaca
Abaaba
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Paradiso (Paradise)
Catholicus (Catholic)
Synn (Sinner)
Terra (Earth)
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Literary critics find deeper meaning in a work and explain it to others
Literary critics decide which literary works should be reworked into other media
Literary critics determine author validity and writing accuracy
Literary critics determine the historical accuracy of a work and its historical worth
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