Classical Poetry MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Classical Poetry - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Alcina.

Key Points

• Alcina is a powerful sorceress in Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem "Orlando Furioso."
• She uses her magical abilities to manipulate various characters and events within the story.
• Alcina's island is a place of enchantment where she lures knights and holds them captive.
• Her character is central to several plotlines and serves as an antagonist to the poem's heroes.
• "Orlando Furioso" is a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's "Orlando Innamorato" and is one of the most influential works in Italian literature.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Angelica: Another character in "Orlando Furioso," Angelica is a beautiful princess who is the object of Orlando's love.
• Marfisa: A warrior maiden and one of the female knights in the poem.
• Isabella: A tragic character who is the beloved of the knight Zerbino in "Orlando Furioso."

The correct answer is The House of Fame.

Key Points

• The House of Fame is a Middle English poem by Geoffrey Chaucer, which is known for its elaborate descriptions and use of allegory.
• The poem features a dream vision where the narrator visits an elaborate chapel made of glass, symbolizing the fragility of fame and the capricious nature of fortune.
• It explores themes of fate, fortune, and the nature of fame, questioning how stories and reputations are constructed and remembered.
• Chaucer's work is often noted for its rich imagery and its reflection on human experiences and societal constructs.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• The Legend of Good Women: Another poem by Chaucer, focusing on the stories of virtuous women from history and mythology.
• The Book of the Duchess: Chaucer's earliest major poem, which is an elegy for Blanche of Lancaster.
• The Parlement of Foules: A dream vision poem that explores themes of love, often considered one of Chaucer's most charming works.

The correct answer is Allegorical dream vision.

Key Points

• Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls" is an early example of an allegorical dream vision poem.
• In the poem, the narrator falls asleep and dreams of a beautiful garden where birds gather to choose their mates.
• This work combines elements of classical mythology with medieval allegory, presenting themes of love and nature.
• The poem is significant for its use of dream vision, a literary device where the narrator's dream serves as the framework for the narrative.
• Chaucer's use of allegory and dream vision in "The Parliament of Fowls" influenced many later writers and poets.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Additional Information

• Epic: A long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroic events, such as Homer's "The Iliad."
• Idyll: A short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds.
• Lyrical poetry: A type of emotional song-like poetry, distinguished from dramatic and narrative poetry.

The correct answer is Heroic couplet.

Key Points

• Geoffrey Chaucer is often regarded as the father of English literature and is best known for "The Canterbury Tales."
• He popularized the use of the heroic couplet in Middle English literature through his works.
• A heroic couplet consists of two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
• Chaucer's use of the heroic couplet in "The Canterbury Tales" helped establish it as a prominent poetic form in English literature.
• His innovative use of this form influenced many later poets, including Alexander Pope and John Dryden.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Additional Information

• Sonnet: A poetic form consisting of 14 lines, often written in iambic pentameter, and usually following specific rhyme schemes like the Petrarchan or Shakespearean sonnet.
• Ballad: A narrative poem that tells a story, typically in quatrains with a rhyme scheme of ABAB or ABCB.
• Free verse: A type of poetry that does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.

The correct answer is 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'.

Key Points

• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance that introduces the character of the Green Knight, and within its narrated hunting scenes in the forest, it makes a brief mention of a mythical creature known as a "wodwo" or wild man of the woods.
• The term "Wodwo" is believed to have its origins in Old English literature, referring to a wild, woodland creature, somewhat akin to a man, but more primitive, part of nature itself. Hughes takes this figure to explore deeper, existential questions.
• Ted Hughes' poem "Wodwo" features a creature that seems to be both questioning and discovering its own nature and existence, reflecting Hughes' interest in bridging the human with the more-than-human world.
• Hughes' use of the Wodwo figure is significant in how it embodies a quest for identity and understanding of one's place in the universe, themes that resonate with the transitional and liminal qualities attributed to the Wodwo in medieval literature.
• The poem is part of Hughes' broader engagement with myth and archetype, using figures like the Wodwo to navigate and interrogate human consciousness and our relationship with the natural world.
• In embodying the Wodwo, Hughes taps into ancient and medieval mythologies to pose contemporary existential questions, showing how these timeless narratives continue to provide insight into the human condition.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

 Additional Information

• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of 24 stories that run from over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by the end of the 14th century but contains no direct reference to wodwos.
• Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory is a rework of existing tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table, with emphasis on chivalry and no direct connection to the Wodwo figure.
• The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is an Italian long narrative poem that explores the realms of the afterlife: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. It does not feature a figure similar to the Wodwo as its focus is primarily on Christian afterlife and philosophy.

The correct answer is Alcina.

Key Points

• Alcina is a powerful sorceress in Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem "Orlando Furioso."
• She uses her magical abilities to manipulate various characters and events within the story.
• Alcina's island is a place of enchantment where she lures knights and holds them captive.
• Her character is central to several plotlines and serves as an antagonist to the poem's heroes.
• "Orlando Furioso" is a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's "Orlando Innamorato" and is one of the most influential works in Italian literature.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Angelica: Another character in "Orlando Furioso," Angelica is a beautiful princess who is the object of Orlando's love.
• Marfisa: A warrior maiden and one of the female knights in the poem.
• Isabella: A tragic character who is the beloved of the knight Zerbino in "Orlando Furioso."

The correct answer is The House of Fame.

Key Points

• The House of Fame is a Middle English poem by Geoffrey Chaucer, which is known for its elaborate descriptions and use of allegory.
• The poem features a dream vision where the narrator visits an elaborate chapel made of glass, symbolizing the fragility of fame and the capricious nature of fortune.
• It explores themes of fate, fortune, and the nature of fame, questioning how stories and reputations are constructed and remembered.
• Chaucer's work is often noted for its rich imagery and its reflection on human experiences and societal constructs.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• The Legend of Good Women: Another poem by Chaucer, focusing on the stories of virtuous women from history and mythology.
• The Book of the Duchess: Chaucer's earliest major poem, which is an elegy for Blanche of Lancaster.
• The Parlement of Foules: A dream vision poem that explores themes of love, often considered one of Chaucer's most charming works.

The correct answer is Allegorical dream vision.

Key Points

• Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls" is an early example of an allegorical dream vision poem.
• In the poem, the narrator falls asleep and dreams of a beautiful garden where birds gather to choose their mates.
• This work combines elements of classical mythology with medieval allegory, presenting themes of love and nature.
• The poem is significant for its use of dream vision, a literary device where the narrator's dream serves as the framework for the narrative.
• Chaucer's use of allegory and dream vision in "The Parliament of Fowls" influenced many later writers and poets.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Additional Information

• Epic: A long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroic events, such as Homer's "The Iliad."
• Idyll: A short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds.
• Lyrical poetry: A type of emotional song-like poetry, distinguished from dramatic and narrative poetry.

The correct answer is Heroic couplet.

Key Points

• Geoffrey Chaucer is often regarded as the father of English literature and is best known for "The Canterbury Tales."
• He popularized the use of the heroic couplet in Middle English literature through his works.
• A heroic couplet consists of two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
• Chaucer's use of the heroic couplet in "The Canterbury Tales" helped establish it as a prominent poetic form in English literature.
• His innovative use of this form influenced many later poets, including Alexander Pope and John Dryden.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Additional Information

• Sonnet: A poetic form consisting of 14 lines, often written in iambic pentameter, and usually following specific rhyme schemes like the Petrarchan or Shakespearean sonnet.
• Ballad: A narrative poem that tells a story, typically in quatrains with a rhyme scheme of ABAB or ABCB.
• Free verse: A type of poetry that does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.

The correct answer is 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'.

Key Points

• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance that introduces the character of the Green Knight, and within its narrated hunting scenes in the forest, it makes a brief mention of a mythical creature known as a "wodwo" or wild man of the woods.
• The term "Wodwo" is believed to have its origins in Old English literature, referring to a wild, woodland creature, somewhat akin to a man, but more primitive, part of nature itself. Hughes takes this figure to explore deeper, existential questions.
• Ted Hughes' poem "Wodwo" features a creature that seems to be both questioning and discovering its own nature and existence, reflecting Hughes' interest in bridging the human with the more-than-human world.
• Hughes' use of the Wodwo figure is significant in how it embodies a quest for identity and understanding of one's place in the universe, themes that resonate with the transitional and liminal qualities attributed to the Wodwo in medieval literature.
• The poem is part of Hughes' broader engagement with myth and archetype, using figures like the Wodwo to navigate and interrogate human consciousness and our relationship with the natural world.
• In embodying the Wodwo, Hughes taps into ancient and medieval mythologies to pose contemporary existential questions, showing how these timeless narratives continue to provide insight into the human condition.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

 Additional Information

• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of 24 stories that run from over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by the end of the 14th century but contains no direct reference to wodwos.
• Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory is a rework of existing tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table, with emphasis on chivalry and no direct connection to the Wodwo figure.
• The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is an Italian long narrative poem that explores the realms of the afterlife: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. It does not feature a figure similar to the Wodwo as its focus is primarily on Christian afterlife and philosophy.