Il Penseroso Quizzes

Il Penseroso Quiz

1 Who does the speaker choose as his guide in "Il Penseroso?"
Penance

Melancholy

Mirth

Contemplation
2 What does the speaker reject at the beginning?
Vain deluding joys

Fantasy

Mirth

Melancholy
3 Who is Orpheus?
The Greek name for Melancholy

A shepherd who tried to lead his wife out of the underworld

The goddess who guides "Il Penseroso"

One of the peasants the speaker sees in the fields
4 What does the speaker argue in "Il Penseroso"?
That the best life to live is the life of sadness

That the best life to live is the life of politics

That the best life to live is the life of contemplation

That the best life to live is the life of joy
5 When did Milton likely write "Il Penseroso"?
At the end of his career

While studying at Cambridge

In the middle of his political career

As a small child
6 Does the speaker in "Il Penseroso" win the debate?
Yes

No

There is no debate

It's unclear
7 How does "Il Penseroso" end?
With the speaker listening to music at a church

With the speaker finding a friend

With the speaker listening to birds in the forest

With the speaker studying in a tower
8 During the Renaissance, people associated Melancholy with ____
Business

A life of joy

Festivals

An artistic temperment
9 What is the name of the companion poem to "Il Penseroso"?
"L'Alleger"

"Il Alleg"

"L'Allegro"

"Il Legro"
10 What does the speaker argue for in "L'Allegro"?
That the best life to live is the life of study

That the best life to live is the life in business

That the best life to live is the life of joy

That the best life to live is the life of silence
11 Which scene occurs in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker entering the desert in search of solitude

The speaker listening to birds in the forest

The speaker attending the theater to listen to Shakespeare

The speaker guiding a lost traveler
12 Where did Milton attend school?
Oxford

University of London

Harvard

Cambridge
13 Which character from Greek mythology does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?
Persephone

Orpheous

Zeus

Hecuba
14 Which genre does Milton draw from in "Il Penseroso"?
Epic Poetry

History Play

Free verse

Classical hymn
15 Who does the speaker say gave birth to Melancholy?
Zephyr and Aurora

Saturn and Vesta

Zeus and Hecuba

Zeus and Leda
16 The speaker compares ___ to a lost traveler.
A star

The sun

A bird

The moon
17 Which scene takes place in "Il Penseroso"?
The speaker attends a party

The speaker writes a play

The speaker studies in a tower

The speaker travels to another country
18 Which genre does the speaker contemplate in the tower?
Tragedy

Dance

Music

Comedy
19 Where does the speaker go to sleep during the day?
At the top of a mountain

By a pond

In the sunlight

The shade
20 After taking a nap, the speaker wakes to ___.
Cries

Night

Birds

Music
21 Which work does the speaker allude to in "Il Penseroso"?
Paradise Lost

The Canterbury Tales

King Lear

Comus
22 The speaker calls a group of muses including ____.
Revelry

Quiet

Joy

Music
23 The speaker compares Melancholy to a ____.
Student

Nun

Teacher

Dancer
24 Melancholy walks with ___.
Galloping Gait

Even step

Reckless speed

Small steps
25 Where was Melancholy conceived?
In secret shades

At the top of a mountain

In the sky

In a marital bed

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Il Penseroso study guide contains a biography of John Milton, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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