Cavalier Poets Quiz

1. The Cavalier poets were a school of English poets belonging to which century?

A. 16th century
B. 17th century
C. 18th century
D. 19th century

B. 17th century
They were active in the 17th century (specifically the 1620s through the 1640s), coinciding with the reign of Charles I.

2. During the English Civil War, the Cavalier poets primarily supported which figure?

A. Parliament
B. Oliver Cromwell
C. King Charles I
D. James II

C. King Charles I
The term Cavalier refers to the Royalist supporters of King Charles I against the Parliamentarians.

3. What was the original meaning of the term “Cavalier” before it was applied to King Charles’s supporters?

A. A loyal courtier
B. A religious cleric
C. A mounted soldier or knight
D. A Parliamentary official

C. A mounted soldier or knight
The literal meaning of the word is an armed horseman, later applied to the King’s dashing supporters.

4. The opposing group to the Cavaliers, who supported Parliament, were often referred to as the:

A. Royalists
B. Aristocrats
C. Roundheads
D. Metaphysicals

C. Roundheads
The Roundheads were typically Parliamentarians and Puritans, contrasting with the long-haired, aristocratic Cavaliers.

5. The term “Cavalier” when applied to Charles’s supporters was meant to portray them as:

A. Pious worshippers
B. Roistering gallants
C. Philosophical thinkers
D. Humble servants

B. Roistering gallants
The term was initially derisive, implying reckless, extravagant gallants or swaggering swordsmen.

6. Which poet, although not a courtier, is categorized as a Cavalier poet due to his style?

A. John Donne
B. Thomas Carew
C. Robert Herrick
D. Sir John Suckling

C. Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick was a country vicar, but his themes (carpe diem, classical forms, praise of Jonson) and light style place him firmly with the Cavaliers.

7. Cavalier poetry is generally known for avoiding traditional subject matter such as:

A. Sensuality and beauty
B. Love and honor
C. Religion and philosophy
D. Drinking and fellowship

C. Religion and philosophy
Unlike the Metaphysical Poets, Cavaliers avoided deep religious and abstract philosophical concerns, favoring secular life.

8. What did Cavalier poetry aim to express, which was much livelier than works of their predecessors?

A. Deep religious doctrine
B. The intricacies of morality
C. Joy and simple gratification
D. Scientific discovery

C. Joy and simple gratification
Their focus was on the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure, celebrating joy and simple gratification.

9. What was a primary political intent of Cavalier poetry?

A. To advocate Puritan beliefs
B. To promote the crown (Charles I)
C. To support Parliamentary rebellion
D. To discuss agrarian reform

B. To promote the crown (Charles I)
Their poetic output explicitly or implicitly championed Royalist ideals and the monarchy.

10. What type of references were commonly found in most Cavalier works?

A. Medieval romances
B. Allegorical and/or classical
C. Contemporary scientific
D. Modern political

B. Allegorical and/or classical
They frequently referenced Greek and Roman writers (especially Horace and Ovid) and used classical models.

11. Cavalier poets frequently drew upon the knowledge of which three ancient figures?

A. Plato, Aristotle, and Homer
B. Horace, Cicero, and Ovid
C. Virgil, Seneca, and Socrates
D. Caesar, Nero, and Livy

B. Horace, Cicero, and Ovid
They drew heavily on the Latin classical writers, particularly the lyrical style of Horace and the sensuality of Ovid.

12. The general attitude mirrored in Cavalier poetry is often associated with the phrase:

A. Memento mori
B. Laissez-faire
C. Carpe diem
D. Cogito ergo sum

C. Carpe diem
The theme of “seize the day” is central to their lighthearted, secular philosophy.

13. What is the literal meaning of the Latin phrase carpe diem?

A. Trust the future
B. Trust only the day
C. Live modestly
D. Seize the day

D. Seize the day
The phrase means to take advantage of the present moment without concern for the future.

14. The themes commonly celebrated in Cavalier poetry include beauty, love, nature, sensuality, and:

A. Poverty and sacrifice
B. Social life and honor
C. Piety and virtue
D. Scientific method

B. Social life and honor
They championed the honor of the King and the elegant social life of the court.

15. Beyond promoting Loyalist principles, Cavalier poets also promoted seizing:

A. Religious clarity
B. Material wealth and sex
C. Abstinence and temperance
D. Scholarly pursuits

B. Material wealth and sex
Their carpe diem ethic specifically encouraged the enjoyment of material and sexual pleasures.

16. What kind of love was a characteristic of Cavalier poetry, where a woman was worshipped as perfect?

A. Romantic love
B. Courtly love
C. Platonic Love
D. Unrequited love

C. Platonic Love
The court of Charles I, influenced by the Italian Renaissance, saw a brief fashion for Platonic Love, where women were idealized, though the poems often retained sensual undertones.

17. Cavalier poetry is often grouped into which category of poetry due to its main intent?

A. Romantic
B. Philosophical
C. Political
D. Religious

C. Political
Despite their lighthearted themes, their poetry’s purpose was inherently political, serving the Royalist cause and the culture of the court.

18. When did Cavalier poetry begin to be recognized as its own genre?

A. Beginning of the Elizabethan era
B. After the execution of Charles I
C. Beginning of the English Civil War (1642)
D. During the Jacobean era

C. Beginning of the English Civil War (1642)
The movement was defined by its allegiance to the king, which became crucial during the Civil War (1642-1651).

19. Which term describes the tone of the Cavalier poetry written after the conflict with Parliament began?

A. Triumphant
B. Nostalgic
C. Satirical
D. Pious

B. Nostalgic
The poetry written during and after the war often expressed sadness and nostalgia for the vanished stability and joy of court life.

20. Charles I supported poets who created the art he:

A. Criticized
B. Craved
C. Funded
D. Ignored

B. Craved
The King actively patronized and promoted poetry that mirrored his own taste for sophisticated, elegant verse.

21. In addition to embracing ancient ideas, what did the Cavaliers also incorporate into their poetry?

A. Strict moral codes
B. Their own contemporary ideas and thoughts
C. Metaphysical conceits
D. Puritan ethics

B. Their own contemporary ideas and thoughts
Their poetry was modern for its time, adapting classical forms to express contemporary social and political experience.

22. Besides metaphor, what is mentioned as another characteristic of Cavalier poetry?

A. Allegory
B. Fantasy
C. Paradox
D. Contemplation

B. Fantasy
Their poetry often contained elements of fantasy and imagination.

23. English poets of the early seventeenth century are crudely classified into Cavaliers and:

A. Victorian poets
B. Romantic poets
C. Metaphysical poets
D. Augustan poets

C. Metaphysical poets
This is the standard, traditional division of the poetry of the Early 17th century.

24. The division between Cavalier and Metaphysical poetry approximates the division between:

A. Political/Secular
B. Secular/Religious
C. English/Scottish
D. Modern/Traditional

B. Secular/Religious
Cavalier poetry is largely Secular, while much Metaphysical poetry (Herbert, Vaughan) is intensely Religious (or philosophical).

25. The Jacobean era poet regarded as the originator of the Cavalier poetic tradition is:

A. John Donne
B. John Milton
C. Ben Jonson
D. George Herbert

C. Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson (the “Tríbe of Ben”) mentored younger poets and served as a model for their neoclassical, classical, and satirical style.

26. Which group of poets, concerned much with religion, are contrasted with the Cavaliers?

A. Tríbe of Ben
B. Sacred poets
C. Neoclassical poets
D. Castalian Band

B. Sacred poets
The Sacred Poets (like George Herbert) focused on God and piety, standing in contrast to the secular Cavaliers.

27. Who is seen as the prime influence on the Cavalier Poets?

A. John Donne
B. Horace
C. Ben Jonson
D. Charles I

C. Ben Jonson
As the leading figure of the Jacobean literary scene, Jonson exerted a crucial influence.

28. Many Cavalier poets were considered part of the ‘Tríbe of Ben’ or:

A. Sons of Jonson
B. Tríbe of Charles
C. Sons of Ben
D. Tríbe of Donne

C. Sons of Ben
The term Sons of Ben referred to the poets who consciously imitated Jonson’s style.

29. Cavalier poets opposed metaphysical poetry, which often wrote with a focus that was spiritual, scientific, and:

A. Romantic
B. Moral
C. Political
D. Sensual

B. Moral
Metaphysical poetry, especially the devotional works of Herbert, was strongly moral and religious.

30. To Cavalier poets, what was considered more important than following moral codes?

A. Gaining political power
B. Writing complex verse
C. Enjoying life
D. Spiritual focus

C. Enjoying life
Their hedonistic philosophy prioritized enjoying life (carpe diem) and pleasure over Puritan moral rigidity.

31. Cavalier poetry is described as being both refined and:

A. Complex
B. Abstract
C. Straightforward
D. Ambiguous

C. Straightforward
Their polished, classical elegance was matched by their straightforward style and clarity of expression.

32. Which feature of Cavalier poetry reflected coarseness and indecency prevalent in courtly circles?

A. Allegorical references
B. Metaphorical language
C. Mirrors temperament of Age
D. Focus on politics

C. Mirrors temperament of Age
The Cavalier poetry often reflects the licentious and often indecent temperament of the age in the court of Charles I.

33. What common format did cavalier poets use in their poems, according to the source?

A. Roses are red, violets are blue
B. AABB couplets
C. Blank verse
D. Petrarchan sonnets

B. AABB couplets
They frequently employed AABB rhyming couplets in their light lyrics.

34. Which prominent Cavalier poet was renowned for careless gaiety and wit?

A. Richard Lovelace
B. Thomas Carew
C. Robert Herrick
D. Sir John Suckling

D. Sir John Suckling
Sir John Suckling was famed for his offhand, witty, and seemingly careless style.

35. Richard Lovelace fought on whose behalf during the Civil War?

A. Parliament
B. The king
C. The Puritans
D. John Donne

B. The king
Richard Lovelace was an active soldier fighting for the Royalist cause.

36. Which of these poems is one of Richard Lovelace’s best known works?

A. A Rapture
B. Odes
C. To Lucasta, Going to the Warres
D. Fragmenta aurea

C. To Lucasta, Going to the Warres
This poem eloquently expresses the Cavalier devotion to honor and loyalty over love.

37. The quoted lines “Stone walls do not a prison make, / Nor iron bars a cage” are from Richard Lovelace’s:

A. The Soldier
B. Sonnet To Generall Goring
C. To Althea, from Prison
D. Ballad upon a Wedding

C. To Althea, from Prison
He wrote this while imprisoned by Parliament.

38. The line “I could not love thee, dear, so much, Lov’d I not Honour more” is the end of which Lovelace poem?

A. To Althea, from Prison
B. To Lucasta, Going to the Warres
C. The Soldier
D. Fragmenta aurea

B. To Lucasta, Going to the Warres
This line defines the Cavalier ideal of prioritizing martial and political Honor over romantic love.

39. Richard Lovelace’s poetry was often influenced by his experiences with politics and his association with:

A. Military campaigns
B. Important figures of his time
C. Religious leaders
D. Scientific discovery

B. Important figures of his time
His life among important figures of the court and his involvement in politics deeply shaped his writing.

40. What influenced Thomas Carew’s metrical style?

A. Ovid
B. Donne
C. Jonson
D. Cicero

C. Jonson
Thomas Carew was known for a polished, classical style deeply influenced by his mentor, Ben Jonson.

41. Which of the following themes was not common to the works of Cavalier poets such as Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, and Robert Herrick?

A. Loyalty to the king
B. Courtly ideals of the good life
C. Pious devotion to religious virtues
D. Carpe diem

C. Pious devotion to religious virtues
Pious devotion was the province of the opposing Sacred Poets (Herbert, Crashaw).

42. Who of the following is a Cavalier poet?

A. George Herbert
B. John Donne
C. Robert Herrick
D. Andrew Marvell

C. Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick (author of Hesperides) is one of the essential Cavalier poets.

43. Thomas Carew’s longest poem is:

A. To Celia
B. A Rapture
C. Fragmenta aurea
D. To Althea, from Prison

B. A Rapture
Thomas Carew’s erotic poem “A Rapture” is his longest and most famous work.

44. Thomas Carew’s elegy on which poet has been praised as a masterpiece of criticism?

A. Ben Jonson
B. Robert Herrick
C. John Donne
D. Richard Lovelace

C. John Donne
Carew’s “An Elegy upon the death of the Dean of St. Paul’s, Dr. John Donne” is regarded as a key piece of early modern literary criticism.

45. Sir John Suckling is best known for which of the following poems?

A. To Lucasta
B. A Rapture
C. Ballad upon a Wedding
D. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

C. Ballad upon a Wedding
This humorous, lighthearted, and famous description of a wedding party is one of Suckling’s most celebrated works.

46. Sir John Suckling’s poem “A Sessions of the Poets” is the prototype of many later:

A. Elegies
B. Sonnets
C. Satires
D. Lyrics

C. Satires
This mock-trial of poets set the stage for later literary satires that judge contemporaries.

47. The collection of Sir John Suckling’s poems that appeared in 1646 is titled:

A. The Soldier
B. Fragmenta aurea
C. Odes
D. The King’s Muse

B. Fragmenta aurea
Fragmenta aurea (Golden Fragments) was the posthumous collection of Suckling’s poems.

48. Who wrote “Ballad upon a Wedding”?

A. Thomas Carew
B. Robert Herrick
C. Richard Lovelace
D. Sir John Suckling

D. Sir John Suckling
He is the author of this famous ballad.

49. Thomas Carew’s ‘Poems’ appeared in print in 1640 and contained amorous addresses to a fictional mistress known as:

A. Celia
B. Julia
C. Anne
D. Melanie

A. Celia
Thomas Carew is noted for his poems addressed to Celia.

50. John Suckling belongs to the group of:

A. Metaphysical poets
B. Cavalier poets
C. Neo-classical poets
D. Religious poets

B. Cavalier poets
Sir John Suckling is one of the three primary Cavalier Poets (alongside Lovelace and Carew).

Brief Overview

The Cavalier Poets were a group of English writers active in the early 17th century. They wrote during the reign of King Charles I, who was eventually defeated in the English Civil War. They were loyal supporters of the King.

These poets were known for their elegant, charming style. They rejected the complicated, intellectual style of the Metaphysical poets. The Cavaliers followed the classical writing of figures like the Roman poet Horace.

Their poetry focused on themes of love, honor, loyalty, and the fleeting nature of life. Their work often featured the carpe diem theme, meaning “seize the day.” They encouraged living life fully in the present moment.

Prominent figures in this group included Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, and Sir John Suckling. Herrick’s famous line, “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” captures their philosophy perfectly. They often wrote about enjoying simple pleasures like wine, beauty, and good company.

After King Charles I was executed, the influence of the Cavalier Poets declined. Their style, however, remains a key part of the literary history of the period. They celebrated a world of aristocratic grace and beauty that was quickly coming to an end.

Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Norman

Renaissance and Reformation

The Enlightenment (Neo-Classical) Age

The Romantic Age

The Victorian Era

The Modern Age

Brief Overview