"The Pardoner's Tale"

What is the Pardoner's motivation for telling the tale?

• To spread the message of forgiveness

• To make money and expose the hypocrisy of the church.

• To entertain the other pilgrims

• To seek revenge on the other pilgrims

The stories about Death that the servant boy and the tavern-­‐knave tell suggest that

• death from plague is rampant.

• Death will be hard to find.

• people looked forward to death.

• Death is looking for them

The revelers go looking for Death because they

• want to repent their sins and find salvation.

• plan to avenge the deaths of their friends.

• want to banish him from England.

• know he has great treasure.

In “The Pardoner’s Tale,” Death is portrayed as

• a skeletal figure

• an old man selling wares by the side of the road.

• an archangel who kills people through natural disasters.

• both an old man and a punisher of evil.

The way the rioters interact with the old man shows their

• justified impatience.

• unkind insensitivity.

• humble curiosity.

• intense caution.

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What is ironic about the attitude that the old man has toward Death?

• He refers to his grave as his “mother.”

• Most people try to avoid death, but he looks for it.

• He has seen death more than once.

• Most people refer to death as an event, not a person.

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What character trait leads to the deaths of all three revelers?

• loyalty

• brotherhood

• greed

• drunkeness

As soon as the rioters find the tree and the gold, they

• end the agreement between them.

• start attacking the old man viciously.

• begin to suspect Death of tricking them.

• forget all about Death because of their greed.

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What does the gold symbolize in "The Pardoner's Tale"?

• The ultimate reward for good deeds

• The corrupting power of greed

• The value of hard work

• The importance of charity

How is betrayal seen in the tale?

• The three revelers kill each other in order to keep more of the gold.

• The three revelers kill the old man who helps them.

• The three revelers betray Death and kill Death.

• The three revelers vow to kill death but two of them run away.