Trivia: The Canterbury Tales Book Quiz!
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- 1.
- A.
The realisation that the end of the world was not necessarily coming shortly
- B.
The realisation that the earth was not the centre of the universe
- C.
The realisation that the end of the world was coming
- D.
The realisation that the earth was the centre of the universe
- 2.What was the life expectancy of women in the 14th Century?
- A.
14
- B.
22
- C.
26
- D.
29
- 3.At what age did the majority of men get married in the 14th Century?
- A.
14
- B.
20
- C.
24
- D.
35
- 4.Which of the following events took place in 1381 in England?
- A.
Treaty of Bretigny
- B.
Death of Edward III
- C.
Invention of the printing press
- D.
The Peasant’s Revolt
- 5.Which of the following facts is not true of the life of Geoffrey Chaucer?
- A.
He was a diplomat
- B.
He died in 1410
- C.
He was the only son of a London wine-merchant
- D.
He was a translator
- 6.Edward III paid £16 ransom to release Chaucer. During which war was he made captive?
- A.
The Six-Day War
- B.
The Bulgarian-Ottoman War
- C.
The Scottish War of Independence
- D.
The Hundred Years’ War
- 7.Chaucer is often considered the first representative of which movement in English literature?
- A.
Humanism
- B.
Aestheticism
- C.
Expressionism
- D.
Transcendentalism
- 8.Which of the following Italian authors did not influence Chaucer?
- A.
Dante Alighieri
- B.
Francesco Petrarca
- C.
Pietro Bembo
- D.
Giovanni Boccaccio
- 9.Which of the following is a narrative poem which many scholars consider to be Chaucer’s finest work?
- A.
Troilus and Chrisalida
- B.
Trollus and Cressilda
- C.
Traldus and Cressida
- D.
Troilus and Criseyde
- 10.During which of the following periods were the Canterbury Tales written?
- A.
1240-1244
- B.
1310-1315
- C.
1387-1400
- D.
1395-1405
- 11.In which year did William Caxton publish the Canterbury Tales for the first time?
- A.
1450
- B.
1460
- C.
1470
- D.
1480
- 12.In the Canterbury Tales, one story connects a series of other stories. What is this literary technique called?
- A.
Frame narrative
- B.
Web narrative
- C.
Box narrative
- D.
Casing narrative
- 13.The Prologue and majority of the tales are composed of what?
- A.
Decasyllabic verses in rhyming couplets
- B.
Unrhymed dodecasyllabic verses
- C.
Octosyllabic verses in rhyming couplets
- D.
Unrhymed decasyllabic verses
- 14.In his initial plan for the Canterbury Tales, how many stories did Chaucer wish to include?
- A.
120
- B.
60
- C.
100
- D.
90
- 15.How many tales did Chaucer complete?
- A.
12
- B.
20
- C.
24
- D.
30
- 16.Which of the following is a theme of the text?
- A.
Courtly love
- B.
Importance of company
- C.
Corruption of the Church
- D.
All of the above
- 17.In which season does the pilgrimage take place?
- A.
Spring
- B.
Summer
- C.
Autumn
- D.
Winter
- 18.The pilgrims travel to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Where do they depart from?
- A.
Southwark
- B.
Southpark
- C.
Southbank
- D.
Southwalk
- 19.What is the name of the host?
- A.
Barry Hailey
- B.
Gary Mailey
- C.
Harry Bailey
- D.
Larry Sailey
- 20.The host decides that each pilgrim must tell how many stories?
- A.
Two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back
- B.
One on the way to Canterbury
- C.
One on the way back from Canterbury
- D.
One on the way to Canterbury and one on the way back
- 21.What is the prize for winning the storytelling contest?
- A.
A date with the Wife of Bath
- B.
A book of poetry
- C.
A medal and certificate
- D.
A free meal at the Tabard Inn
- 22.Apart from the narrator, how many travellers go on the pilgrimage?
- A.
27
- B.
28
- C.
29
- D.
26
- 23.What aspects of the pilgrims are described in the General Prologue?
- A.
All of the other answers are correct
- B.
Physical appearance
- C.
Social rank
- D.
Clothing
- 24.The pilgrims are representative of typical 14th Century social 'classes'. What are these collectives called?
- A.
Estates
- B.
Clusters
- C.
Assemblies
- D.
Factions
- 25.Which character represents the highest social class of the group?
- A.
Squire
- B.
Knight
- C.
Monk
- D.
Miller
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