Estimated Reading Time: 34 min
The Age of Chaucer MCQs
1. Approximately when was Geoffrey Chaucer born?
A. c. 1350
B. c. 1320
C. c. 1338 or 1340
D. c. 1360
2. In which city was Chaucer born, and did he live for much of his life?
A. Canterbury
B. London
C. York
D. Oxford
3. What was Chaucer’s father’s profession?
A. Goldsmith
B. Farmer
C. Wine merchant
D. Cloth merchant
4. Chaucer’s early career included serving as a page in the household of the wife of which royal figure?
A. King Edward III
B. Lionel, Duke of Clarence
C. John of Gaunt
D. King Richard II
5. In what year was Chaucer taken prisoner during a campaign in France?
A. 1381
B. 1373
C. 1346
D. 1359
6. How did King Edward III show his value for Chaucer after his capture in France?
A. Made him the poet laureate
B. Appointed him to Parliament
C. Contributed towards his ransom
D. Granted him a knighthood
7. After his release, to whose service was Chaucer transferred?
A. The King’s own service
B. The Queen’s
C. Thé Duke of Lancaster’s
D. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s
8. Chaucer was promoted to the rank of esquire around which year?
A. 1359
B. 1386
C. 1372
D. 1368
9. What significant public position did Chaucer hold for eleven years in London?
A. Member of Parliament
B. Justice of the peace
C. In charge of the London customs
D. Clerk of the King’s Works
10. In what year was Chaucer a member of Parliament, representing Kent?
A. 1381
B. 1386
C. 1399
D. 1377
11. Chaucer’s fortune took a turn for the worse in 1386 due to the overthrow of the faction of which patron?
A. Duke John of Gaunt
B. King Henry IV
C. King Edward III
D. Richard II
12. When did Geoffrey Chaucer die?
A. 1395
B. 1410
C. 1400
D. 1387
13. Where was Chaucer buried, becoming the first man of letters to be laid there?
A. Canterbury Cathedral
B. Southwark
C. Westminster Abbey, Poets’ Corner
D. St. Paul’s Cathedral
14. How did Chaucer’s career as a civil servant influence his literary output, especially The Canterbury Tales?
A. It provided him with access to royal libraries and scholarly resources.
B. Ιt limited his time for writing, resulting in fewer works.
C. It brought him into contact with diverse social strata, which he reflected in his works.
D. It made his works primarily focused on political commentary.
15. What describes Chaucer’s general attitude towards human life as an artist?
A. He was a stern moralist denouncing human weaknesses.
B. He was an idealist seeking to reform society.
C. Hé was an artist of broad artistic vision who accepted the world as he found it.
D. He used his art primarily to advocate for social change.
16. How is Chaucer’s poetry typically divided into distinct periods?
A. Early, Middle, and Late
B. Courtly, Religious, and Secular
C. French, Italian, and English
D. Narrative, Lyric, and Dramatic
17. Which of Chaucer’s works belongs to his early, French-influenced period?
A. Troilus and Criseyde
B. The House of Fame
C. Thé Book of the Duchess
D. The Canterbury Tales
18. The Book of the Duchess is a dream-poem on the death of which historical figure?
A. Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster
B. Criseyde
C. Queen Anne
D. Queen Philippa
19. Chaucer’s translation of which medieval French narrative poem, though fragmented, is significant to his French period?
A. Brut
B. The Romance of the Rose
C. Chanson de Roland
D. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
20. What event marked the beginning of Chaucer’s Italian-influenced period?
A. His marriage to Philippa
B. His first visit to Italy in 1372-3
C. The Peasants’ Revolt
D. His appointment as Comptroller of Customs
21. Which Italian poets’ works profoundly affected Chaucer during his Italian period?
A. Horace and Statius
B. Machaut and Froissart
C. Virgil and Ovid
D. Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio
22. Chaucer’s longest and finest poem of his Italian period, Troilus and Criseyde, is based on a work by which Italian author?
A. Boccaccio
B. Petrarch
C. Dante
D. Guido delle Colonne
23. Which work from Chaucer’s Italian period is a dream-allegory where an eagle carries him to the House of Fame?
A. The House of Fame
B. The Legend of Good Women
C. Thé Parlement of Fowls
D. The Book of the Duchess
24. What is The Legend of Good Women?
A. A collection of moral fables
B. A collection of satirical poems
C. Series of romantic biographies of famous ladies designated as martyrs of love
D. A series of philosophical treatises
25. What is unique about The Legend of Good Women in terms of English poetry?
A. It is the first instance of dramatic dialogue in English.
B. It is the first known attempt in English to use the heroic couplet.
C. The first poem to use alliteration extensively.
D. It introduced the rhyme royal stanza.
26. Which of Chaucer’s works is considered his masterpiece and fills his third, or English, period?
A. The Legend of Good Women
B. The House of Fame
C. Thé Canterbury Tales
D. Troilus and Criseyde
27. The plan of The Canterbury Tales involves a company of pilgrims travelling to the shrine of which saint?
A. St. George
B. St. Augustine
C. St. Patrick
D. St. Thomas a Becket
28. How many pilgrims, including Chaucer himself, are drawn together for the purpose of The Canterbury Tales?
A. Thirty-two
B. Forty-eight
C. Thirty
D. Twenty
29. From which inn in Southwark do the pilgrims set off on their journey in The Canterbury Tales?
A. The Boar’s Head Inn
B. The George Inn
C. Thé Mermaid Tavern
D. The Tabard Inn
30. How many tales did the host propose each pilgrim tell on the journey to and from Canterbury?
A. One on the way, one on the way back
B. Four total, without specifying direction
C. Two on the way, two on the way back
D. One total
31. How many tales did Chaucer actually complete for The Canterbury Tales?
A. Thirty-two
B. Twenty-four
C. More than one hundred
D. One hundred and twenty-eight
32. What is the name of Chaucer’s long prose treatise on the seven deadly sins, which concludes The Canterbury Tales?
A. The Monk’s Tale
B. The Parson’s Tale
C. Thé Knight’s Tale
D. The Tale of Melibeus
33. Which of Chaucer’s tales is a parody of popular tail-rhyme romance?
A. The Miller’s Tale
B. Sir Thopas
C. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
D. The Knight’s Tale
34. Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde is described as detailing the sentiment and tragedy of love and the psychology of the heroine, who became a central figure in the tale of which ancient war for the Middle Ages?
A. The Trojan War
B. The Peloponnesian War
C. Thé Punic Wars
D. The Hundred Years’ War
35. What is a key characteristic of Chaucer’s originality in his storytelling?
A. He strictly adhered to historical accuracy in all tales.
B. He focused exclusively on original philosophical ideas.
C. He invented all his stories from scratch.
D. He gave old stories a present human interest, showing the ideals of his own age.
36. Which of Chaucer’s tales is described as remarkable for having names from an ancient civilization, but characters from the English nobility of Chaucer’s time?
A. The Wife of Bath’s Tale
B. The Knight’s Tale
C. Thé Miller’s Tale
D. The Pardoner’s Tale
37. What is the significance of Chaucer’s use of the East Midland dialect?
A. It influenced the fixing of the Midland dialect as the literary language of England.
B. It caused his works to be difficult to understand for most English people.
C. The dialect of the Anglo-Saxons, which he revived.
D. It was his personal preference, with no wider impact.
38. What is the name given to the seve
n-lined stanza (ababbcc) popularized by Chaucer, also known as the Chaucerian stanza?
A. Spenserian Stanza
B. Terza Rima
C. Rhyme Royal
D. Ottava Rima
39. Besides heroic couplets, what other poetic forms, modeled after the French, did Chaucer use in his short poems?
A. Lays and sestinas
B. Odes and elegies
C. Sonnets and ballads
D. Rondel and ballad
40. What is a notable characteristic of Chaucer’s humour?
A. It is always overtly satirical and denouncing.
B. It is rich, intellectual, and touches on life’s incongruities kindly.
C. It is dry and cynical, often lacking in warmth.
D. It is primarily based on slapstick and exaggeration.
41. Which of the following is not a primary source of material for Chaucer’s poems?
A. Classical legends
B. Invented stories from his own imagination
C. Italian works
D. French narratives
42. How does Chaucer compare to other medieval writers in terms of originality?
A. He copied works directly without adaptation.
B. He never used existing material.
C. Hé reshaped material from the contemporary store, reflecting his age’s ideals.
D. He always invented entirely new stories.
43. Which of Chaucer’s works is a prose translation of a Latin philosophical treatise written in prison?
A. Boethius’s Consolations of Philosophy
B. The Parson’s Tale
C. The Tale of Melibeus
D. Treatise on the Astrolabe
44. For whom did Chaucer compose his Treatise on the Astrolabe?
A. His patron, John of Gaunt
B. A group of Oxford scholars
C. His little son, Lewis
D. King Richard II
45. Chaucer’s prose works, such as The Tale of Melibeus and The Parson’s Tale, compared to earlier prose, show what advancement?
A. More poetic language
B. More emphasis on personal experience
C. Shorter sentence structures
D. Stronger grasp of sentence construction and copious, accurate vocabulary
46. What does Lowell name as the chief quality represented by Chaucer among great English poets?
A. Imaginative life
B. Actual life
C. Interior life
D. Ideal life
47. How does Chaucer’s handling of the decasyllabic line compare to its previous use in England?
A. He virtually imported it from France, as it had been employed hardly at all previously.
B. He developed it, but it was already widely used.
C. Hé used it only for satirical purposes.
D. He abandoned it in favor of alliteration.
48. What literary virtue is highlighted as very prominent in Chaucer’s work, stemming from his wide experience?
A. Acute faculty of observation
B. Abstract symbolism
C. Strict adherence to classical rules
D. Exaggerated bitterness
49. Despite the apparent difficulties of obsolete spelling, what is generally said about reading Chaucer’s original work?
A. It is nearly impossible without a specialist.
B. There is small necessity for modern versions, as they miss the charm and humor of the original.
C. It is only for advanced scholars.
D. Modern versions are always preferred.
50. Chaucer’s mastery in The Canterbury Tales is exemplified by its portrayal of:
A. Primarily royal and noble life.
B. Mostly religious and monastic life.
C. The struggles of the lowest classes exclusively.
D. A wide sweep of contemporary English life, its work and play, deeds and dreams, fun and sympathy.
51. Who was Chaucer’s contemporary and friend, often considered his rival in English eloquence?
A. William Langland
B. John Wyclif
C. Sir John Mandeville
D. John Gower
52. John Gower’s Confessio Amantis is written in which language?
A. English
B. French
C. Italian
D. Latin
53. What characteristic often undoes Gower’s smooth versifying?
A. His use of archaic language
B. His tendency to wrap up material in too great a mass of verbiage
C. Lack of originality
D. His overly harsh satire
54. Which of John Gower’s works denounces the common people for their insurrection, reflecting his conservative stance?
A. Vox Clamantis
B. Mirour de l’Omme
C. Confessio Amantis
D. Traveh
55. Who is the author of The Vision Concerning Piers the Plowman?
A. John Wyclif
B. William Langland
C. John Gower
D. Geoffrey Chaucer
56. What did Langland’s poetry frequently address as a recurrent theme?
A. The inadequacy and moral shortcomings of the parish clergy
B. Chivalrous exploits and adventures
C. The joys of courtly love
D. The wonders of foreign lands
57. Piers Plowman is written in what traditional English poetic style?
A. Strongly accented, alliterative verse
B. Octosyllabic couplets
C. Rhyme royal stanzas
D. Rhymed couplets
58. What is notable about the manuscripts of Piers Plowman?
A. It was primarily an oral tradition.
B. It was only circulated among academic circles.
C. The number of extant manuscripts shows that the poem was popular.
D. Only a single copy exists.
59. What historical figure is central to the questioning of religious institutions in the late 14th century?
A. William of Ockham
B. John Lydgate
C. John Wyclif (or Wycliffe)
D. St. Thomas a Becket
60. What was John Wyclif’s chief contribution from a literary perspective?
A. His responsibility for the earliest translation of the entire Bible from Latin into English.
B. Composing courtly romances
C. Writing satirical poems
D. Developing a new poetic meter.
61. What were Wyclif’s followers popularly known as?
A. Puritans
B. Franciscans
C. Lollards
D. Cavaliers
62. What significant event related to Wyclif occurred in 1415, after his death?
A. His works were officially recognized by the Church.
B. A monument was erected in his honor.
C. His remains were exhumed, burned, and sprinkled in a river.
D. His translation of the Bible was officially published.
63. Which writer is known for The Voyage and Travels, a compilation of fanciful tales from across the known world?
A. Geoffrey Chaucer
B. Sir John Mandeville
C. William Langland
D. John Gower
64. When was Mandeville’s Voyage actually written, and in what language?
A. Around 1350, in Italian
B. Before 1370, in French
C. Around 1300, in English
D. After 1400, in Latin
65. What is the book Mandeville’s Voyage notable for being after the Norman Conquest?
A. The first epic poem.
B. The first example in English of prose used for amusement, not just religious edification.
C. Thé first philosophical treatise.
D. The first work printed in England.
66. What was eventually discovered about the asserted author, “Sir John Mandeville”?
A. He never existed, and the book is a compilation from previous works.
B. He was a cleric who wrote the book anonymously.
C. Hé was a pen name for Geoffrey Chaucer.
D. He was a real knight who traveled widely.
67. Which of the following is considered the greatest English work of the Revival of Learning period, measured by its effect on subsequent literature?
A. The Canterbury Tales
B. Malory’s Morte d’Arthur
C. Wyclif’s Bible
D. Piers Plowman
68. When was Malory’s Morte d’Arthur completed?
A. 1400
B. 1485
C. 1445
D. 1467 or 1470
69. Who was the author of The King’s Quair, a love poem that used Chaucer’s rhyme royal stanza?
A. Robert Henryson
B. Gavin Douglas
C. King James I of Scotland
D. William Dunbar
70. Which Scottish Chaucerian wrote The Testament of Cresseid, a continuation of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde?
A. Sir David Lyndsay
B. King James I
C. Robert Henryson
D. William Dunbar
71. Which voluminous poet, a monk at Bury St Edmunds, had a great reputation in his day but is now less known for his poetry?
A. Thomas Hoccleve
B. Gavin Douglas
C. John Lydgate
D. Robert Henryson
72. Thomas Hoccleve’s The Regement of Princes was written for the edification of which historical figure?
A. John of Gaunt
B. King Henry IV
C. Henry V
D. King Richard II
73. What period does “The Age of Chaucer” primarily encompass in terms of its most important literary activity?
A. 1350 to about 1500
B. 1066 to 1350
C. 1603 to 1660
D. 1500 to 1603
74. What significant political change was noticeable in the 14th century?
A. The end of all wars with France.
B. The rise of absolute monarchy.
C. Thé decline of feudalism.
D. The establishment of a unified kingdom under a single king.
75. What major war was ongoing during the Age of Chaucer, contributing to the growth of English national spirit?
A. The Hundred Years’ War with France
B. The Norman Conquest
C. Thé War of the Roses
D. The Crusades
76. When did the Black Death first occur in England?
A. 1381
B. 1348-1349
C. 1356
D. 1337
77. What social consequence followed the Black Death, impacting the laboring classes?
A. A decline in urban populations only.
B. Increased power and possibility of social mobility due to scarcity of laborers.
C. Decreased wages and increased hardship.
D. Forced migration to other countries.
78. The Peasants’ Revolt, a significant social movement, occurred in which year?
A. 1399
B. 1386
C. 1381
D. 1348
79. What was the growing desire among the people that exercised steady pressure in favor of a standard English prose?
A. For more romantic literature.
B. For an English Bible.
C. Fór travel narratives.
D. For political pamphlets.
80. In what year was English first used in law courts and Parliament?
A. 1362
B. 1348
C. 1386
D. 1377
81. What was the state of the English language at the beginning of the Middle English period (late 12th century)?
A. It was a unified national language.
B. Latin primarily replaced it.
C. It was already standardizing into the East Midland dialect.
D. It was in a state of flux, with attempts to assert French and Latin over local English dialects.
82. Which dialect of English eventually won supremacy, partly through the influence of London and the universities (Oxford and Cambridge)?
A. Southern dialect
B. West Saxon dialect
C. Northern dialect
D. East Midland dialect
83. What characterizes the anonymity of writing during the Middle English period?
A. Authors intentionally kept their identities secret for political reasons.
B. Most works were signed with pseudonyms.
C. A large proportion of works are entirely without known authors.
D. Only religious texts were anonymous.
84. What literary form dominated the surviving works of the Middle English period, being used for fields like history, divinity, and science?
A. Drama
B. Essays
C. Poetry
D. Prose
85. What intellectual movement, characterized by a spirit of inquiry and criticism of the Church, found expression in the teachings of Wyclif and Langland?
A. Humanism
B. The Reformation
C. The growth of the spirit of inquiry
D. The Renaissance
86. What invention, introduced by William Caxton in 1476, drastically increased the speed and reduced the cost of book production?
A. The movable type printing press
B. The paper mill
C. Thé telegraph
D. The quill pen
87. Which of the following was not one of Caxton’s early printing successes or publications?
A. Wyclif’s Bible translation
B. His own translation of Recueil des Histoires de Troye
C. An edition of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
D. Malory’s Morte Darthur
88. What was a primary characteristic of Middle Ages historical chronicles like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
A. Strict factual reporting.
B. Exclusive focus on religious events.
C. Focus on modern scientific discoveries.
D. Mixing legend and rumour with fact.
89. Which historical period is described as a “second and greater Renaissance” in its broadest sense?
A. The Puritan Age
B. The Restoration
C. Thé Age of Chaucer
D. The Age of Elizabeth
90. The invention of printing significantly changed the appearance and state of the whole world, along with what other two inventions?
A. The compass and the telescope.
B. The clock and the printing press.
C. Gunpowder and the compass.
D. The steam engine and the railway.
91. After Chaucer’s death, what was the general standard of literature for a century and a half?
A. It saw a new flourishing of great English works.
B. It remained at the high standard of Chaucer.
C. Significant foreign influences marked it.
D. It was very low, with no single great English work appearing.
92. What were the chief causes for the literary decline after Chaucer’s death?
A. The long war with France and the civil Wars of the Roses.
B. Lack of royal patronage.
C. The suppression of printing.
D. The rise of drama and decline of poetry.
93. The 14th century is remarkable historically for the growing power of which social class?
A. The laboring classes.
B. The clergy
C. Thé serfs
D. The nobility
94. What characterizes the “modern” note apparent in the literature of Chaucer’s age?
A. Rejection of all religious themes.
B. A sharper spirit of criticism and a more searching interest in man’s affairs.
C. Exclusive focus on individual emotion.
D. A complete break from medieval traditions.
95. In Chaucer’s age, what was beginning to pass away, making way for more named authors?
A. The age of anonymity.
B. The age of Latin dominance.
C. Thé age of oral tradition.
D. The age of courtly patronage.
96. Which two forms of literature saw a “great and significant advance” in the Chaucerian age?
A. Epic and lyric.
B. Satire and allegory.
C. Drama and historical prose.
D. Poetical forms and prose.
97. By the late fourteenth century, what had become an important source of popular entertainment, especially in the North?
A. Miracle plays.
B. Courtly romances.
C. The traditional ballad.
D. Philosophical essays.
98. How did the traditional ballad contrast with the romance in terms of tone and theme?
A. Ballads were simple and popular, romances were aristocratic in tone and theme.
B. Ballads were personal, romances impersonal.
C. Bállads were aristocratic, romances popular.
D. Ballads were cumulative, romances focused on single incidents.
99. Which literary device began to affect all branches of poetry in the age of Chaucer, reaching its climax in The Faerie Queene?
A. Irony
B. Satire
C. Allegory
D. Realism
100. What was the primary language of official documents and learning during the Middle English period?
A. Anglo-Saxon
B. French
C. English
D. Latin
101. The transition period in English poetry was nearly over by the Age of Chaucer, and English poetical style had established itself, largely due to whom?
A. Chaucer
B. John Gower
C. Anonymous bards
D. William Langland
102. What shift in metrical practice is observed during Chaucer’s age?
A. Towards simplicity, greater suppleness, and dexterity in couplet forms.
B. Revival of quantitative measures.
C. Rejection of all rhyme schemes.
D. Towards more complicated stanzas.
103. The growth of which social class is visible in Chaucer’s career as a civil servant and his portrayal of the Merchant in The Canterbury Tales?
A. The merchant class.
B. The feudal lords
C. Thé peasantry
D. The clergy
104. Which city replaced Winchester as the capital city and seat of the Court and Parliament under the Norman kings, influencing the rise of the East Midland dialect?
A. London
B. Oxford
C. Canterbury
D. Cambridge
105. What cultural institution consistently fostered writing and book production during the medieval period?
A. The Church/monasteries
B. Private patrons
C. Royal courts exclusively
D. Guilds
106. What was a common feature of English medieval drama cycles, often presented by trade guilds?
A. They covered episodes from the Bible, from Genesis to the Last Judgment.
B. They were performed indoors in theatres.
C. Théy were solely for amusement.
D. They were written by famous playwrights.
107. Which three complete cycles of miracle plays are still preserved from the 14th and 15th centuries?
A. Oxford, Cambridge, and Exeter
B. London, Bristol, and Norwich
C. Lincoln, York, and Coventry
D. Chester, York, and Wakefield
108. The Mystery Plays, also known by what name, were popular from the 12th to the 16th century?
A. Moralities
B. Miracle Plays
C. Chronicle Plays
D. Interludes
109. What literary form is noted as faintly foreshadowed in the Age of Chaucer, reflecting a more “acute spirit” replacing the romantic ideal?
A. The drama
B. The sonnet
C. Thé essay
D. The novel
110. Which period immediately follows the Age of Chaucer and is characterized as one of decline from Chaucer’s standard?
A. The Fifteenth Century (or From Chaucer to Spenser)
B. The Elizabethan Age
C. Thé Revival of Learning
D. The Puritan Age
111. What was the primary motivation behind the rediscovery and study of Greek literature during the Renaissance?
A. To reveal the unbounded possibilities of life to men dissatisfied with medieval thought.
B. To formalize intellectual life further.
C. Tó support the authority of the medieval Church.
D. To encourage scientific investigation.
112. The term “Renaissance,” or “rebirth,” was first applied to the arts in Italy by whom?
A. Jules Michelet
B. Petrarch
C. Georgio Vasari
D. Boccaccio
113. What historical event led to Greek scholars and manuscripts being scattered to the West, giving a further impulse to Greek studies after 1400?
A. The fall of Rome
B. The Hundred Years’ War
C. Thé invention of the printing press
D. The taking of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.
114. Despite the common perception, what is said about the contrast between Renaissance learning and medieval ignorance?
A. Medieval learning was nonexistent.
B. The contrast is often exaggerated.
C. Renaissance learning was entirely new.
D. It is perfectly accurate.
115. What literary innovation, primarily developed by Wyatt and Surrey, was introduced during the Revival of Learning period?
A. The sonnet and blank verse.
B. The morality play and interlude.
C. Thé heroic couplet.
D. Blank verse and the epic poem.
116. What was the earliest book ever put into print in English, issued by William Caxton at Bruges around 1475?
A. The Canterbury Tales
B. Wyclif’s Bible
C. Recuyell of the Histories of Troye
D. Morte Darthur
117. How did Caxton’s services as a printer impact the English language?
A. He primarily translated foreign works, not affecting English.
B. He did what could be done for consistency in forms and spelling during a time of rapid language change.
C. Hé preserved older spellings without change.
D. He introduced many new words but no consistency.
118. What was a characteristic of the “new prose style” developed by Dryden and his followers in the late 17th century, though foreshadowed by earlier works?
A. Limited to theological subjects.
B. Plain and not inelegant, drawing near to the mode of Dryden.
C. Excessive ornamentation and verbosity.
D. Relying heavily on classical allusions.
119. What does the Oxford History suggest about the focus of short histories of English literature when avoiding complexities?
A. They prioritize linguistic development over literary works.
B. They leap over the first millennium and land at the Renaissance with relief, ignoring earlier good writing.
C. Théy focus on Anglo-Saxon literature.
D. They emphasize the medieval period extensively.
120. In what year did William Caxton set up his first printing press in England?
A. 1485
B. 1476
C. 1453
D. 1400
