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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 decrees Cecilia a saint after her death?

2. Why does Virginius kill Virginia?

3. Who does the Host discover sleeping in his saddle?

4. What does the Host do after the Prioress's Tale?

5. How does Chanticleer escape his captor?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What contributes heavily to the length of the Tale of Melibee?

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

4. What is a possible reason Chaucer writes his retraction?

5. Why is the Second Nun's Tale so appropriate for her?

6. What is the common moral in the Monk's tragedies?

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

8. What is different about the Parson's Tale in comparison to the rest of the pilgrims' tales?

9. What is the theology of life the Parson presents in his tale?

10. Why does the Host interrupt Chaucer's telling of the Tale of Sir Topas?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the class system of the Middle Ages. How is the class system expressed in The Canterbury Tales? Is this effective in Chaucer's story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Define conflict. Identify each type of conflict and give an example from The Canterbury Tales. Which type of conflict do you think is the most effective? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Define mood. Choose one tale and identify its mood. How is the mood expressed in the tale? How does the mood contribute to the overall tale?

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