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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the subject of the Second Nun's Tale?

2. Why does the Canon leave the group?

3. How does the Parson react when asked to tell a story?

4. Who does the Second Nun invoke in her prologue?

5. What animal tricks Chanticleer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What about the Shipman's Tale suggests that Chaucer originally intended the story to be told by a female character?

2. What is the irony of the Pardoner in his argument with the Host?

3. What kind of a man is Phoebus in the Manciple's Tale?

4. Why is it fitting that the journey ends with the Parson's Tale?

5. What is the moral the Canon's Yeoman is trying to get across?

6. How does the Prioress emphasize the idea that the boy in her tale is a victim?

7. What is the significance of Virginia's name in the Physician's Tale?

8. What is the parallel between the Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and his Tale?

9. What is the lesson the Second Nun's Tale teaches women?

10. How is the merchant's wife able to buy the clothes she wants?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define irony. Identify each type of irony and give an example from The Canterbury Tales for each.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of the Host in The Canterbury Tales. How does he join the group's pilgrimage? Is he effective in his role? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Explain marriage during Chaucer's time. What pilgrims address marriage in their tales? What do they think of the institution of marriage?

(see the answer keys)

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