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The Pardoner's Tale

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The vice against which the Pardoner preaches in all of his sermons is:

a)

lechery

b)

gluttony

c)

greed

d)

sloth

2.

When the Pardoner says "That trick's been worth a hundred marks a year," "that trick" refers to:

a)

showing his audience bulls from the popes, cardinals, and bishops to demonstrate his impressive connections.

b)

making his audience choose between paying him and appearing to others to be sinful.

c)

sprinkling a few words of Latin in his sermons to "stir devotion with a spice of teaching"

d)

stretching his neck and gesturing like an actor during his sermons to entertain his audiences.

3.

By saying that "covetousness is both the root and stuff of all I preach," the Pardoner means that

a)

he is motivated by and preaches about greed

b)

his sermons are all about hypocrisy

c)

all of his ideas for sermons come from thinking about the Bible.

d)

his sermons succeed because his audiences are covetous.

4.

All of the following are ironic, except

a)

an immoral man is an able teller of moral tales

b)

an avaricious man makes a living by preaching against avarice.

c)

an ugly man is a successful preacher.

d)

an avaricious man can get covetous men to repent of their covetousness.

5.

By "I do not preach in vain," the Pardoner means that he

a)

convinces his audiences to stop being vain through his preaching.

b)

satisfies his vanity by preaching

c)

saves souls through his preaching

d)

makes money from preaching.

6.

"Radix malorum est cupiditas" means

a)

"poverty is the root of all evil."

b)

"the root of evil is greed"

c)

"love heals all"

d)

"A little learning is a dangerous thing"

7.

The office of the Pardoner was part of

a)

the local governing body

b)

the King's privy counsel

c)

the Catholic Church

d)

the Anglican Church

8.

When the tale opens, what are the rioters doing?

a)

drinking

b)

nothing

c)

dancing

d)

sleeping

9.

What passes the rioters by that catches their attention?

a)

A knight

b)

A priest

c)

A coffin

d)

A horse

10.

What kind of people are the rioters?

a)

Upstanding citizens

b)

gamblers and drunks

c)

hardworking people

d)

good people

11.

The Pardoner admits to being...

a)

thoughtful

b)

evil

c)

kind

d)

greedy

12.

Who are the rioters looking for in the tale?

a)

the knight

b)

the king

c)

the old man

d)

death

13.

Why do the rioters go looking for death in the tale?

a)

to be paid

b)

they were commissioned by the king

c)

avenge the death of their friend

d)

earn fame and fortune

14.

Where did the old man say death was?

a)

under the tree

b)

in an old abandoned building

c)

under a bridge

d)

he wasn't in town anymore

15.

Why did the rioters want to move the coins at night?

a)

avoid suspicion

b)

seek help from the local farmer

c)

so no one will take the coins

d)

they didn't want death to see them

16.

What did the youngest rioter do while he was in town?

a)

talk to a friend

b)

go to the bar

c)

get drunk

d)

buy bread, wine and poison

17.

What are indulgences?

a)

a sin

b)

punishment given by the courts

c)

necklaces worn by priests

d)

certificates of forgiveness

18.

What does the word avarice mean?

a)

greed

b)

love

c)

hope

d)

charity

19.

Death went his way without a word - is an example of...

a)

personification

b)

metaphor

c)

simile

d)

analogy

20.

How do the rioters act towards the old man?

a)

with love

b)

with concern

c)

with hatred

d)

with disrespect

21.

Florins are...

a)

coins

b)

fish

c)

brightly colored glass

d)

flowers

22.

If you have a "parley" with someone, you...

a)

sing with them

b)

eat with them

c)

dance with them

d)

talk with them

23.

What was the cause of so much death during this time period?

a)

unemployment

b)

wars

c)

starvation

d)

The Black plague

24.

When the rioters plot against each other, it is an example of...

a)

verbal irony

b)

situational irony

c)

dramatic irony

25.

When the rioters expect to find death under the tree and find gold instead, it is an example of...

a)

Verbal Irony

b)

Situational Irony

c)

Dramatic Irony

26.

When the rioters say, "trust me" it is an example of...

a)

Verbal Irony

b)

Situational Irony

c)

Dramatic Irony

27.

Between what 2 locations are the pilgrims traveling?

a)

Georgia and Canterbury

b)

Scotland and England

c)

London and Canterbury

d)

America and England

28.

What month of the year is it?

a)

December

b)

July

c)

February

d)

April

29.

What is verbal irony?

a)

using sarcastic tones for humorous purposes

b)

saying one thing but meaning another

c)

symbolizing an aspect of characterization

d)

showing human characteristics in animate objects

30.

How do they eventually find what they're looking for?

a)

They decide to divide the money 3 ways and leave.

b)

They find death by drinking too much.

c)

The old man finds them and kills them; he then takes the money.

d)

They kill one another in their efforts to get more gold.

31.
As soon as the rioters find the tree and the gold, they...
a)
end the agreement between them
b)
start attacking the old man viciously
c)
begin to suspect Death of tricking them
d)
forget all about Death because of their greed
32.
The youngest rioter buys poison because he...
a)
wants all the treasure for himself
b)
hopes to help the old man find death
c)
notices wild animals around the treasure
d)
knows that the other two are planning his death
33.
What does the Pardoner want to do when he finishes his tale?
a)
act more devoutly
b)
sell more pardons
c)
remember death
d)
give up avarice
34.
One moral in this tale addresses the problem of greed.  What is another lesson that one of the characters states?
a)
Respect death, for illness may occur soon.
b)
Treat the old as you would wish to be treated.
c)
Meet death gladly in old age, but never murder.
d)
Refuse to enter into pacts; instead, trust yourself.
35.
While the youngest rioter goes back to town for food and wine, what do the other two plan?
a)
how to help the old man
b)
what story to tell others about the gold they found
c)
how to carry the coins back to town
d)
how to kill the youngest rioter