“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
1. The knight undertakes a quest to —
A discover the most beautiful noblewoman in England
B find a perfect wife for himself
C learn what it is that women want most
D protect women from evil upon the road to Canterbury
2. The knight’s quest is a(n) —
F task given to him by the queen
G test of courage set by the king
H ambitious mission he sets himself
J duty imposed on him by the church
3. Before he sees the old woman in the
woods, the knight sees —
A the figure of Death
B more than twenty-four ladies dancing
C his own face reflected in a pool of water
D his own future in a dream
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
4. According to the old woman, what women
really want is —
F money, jewels, and treasure
G to be flattered and attended to
H freedom and entertainment
J mastery over their husbands
5. As a reward for giving him the answer that
will save his life, the old woman demands —
A a large sum of money
B to learn the secret of youth
C to marry the knight
D to be pardoned by the queen
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
6. The knight shows that he has learned
what women want most when he —
F keeps his promise to return after a year and a day
G agrees to marry the old woman
H pays the old woman as much as she asks
J asks his wife to decide which form she will take
7. The old woman makes an eloquent
philosophical argument about —
A the harmfulness of greed
B true and false gentility and virtue
C the differences between men and women
D the magical beauty of nature
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
8. The Wife of Bath’s philosophy of marriage
shows that she —
F is a strong person with a keen sense of her own rights
G tends to say one thing and do the opposite
H cares only for pleasure, not for right and wrong
J trusts too much to thought instead of feeling
9. Chaucer’s characterizations of the
Prioress, the Monk, and others connected
with the church are mainly—
A idealized
B realistic
C flattering
D satirical
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
10. Who narrates the tale about the knight
and the old woman?
F The knight
G The old woman
H The Wife of Bath
J Chaucer
11. The narrator of a story should not be
confused with —
A the author
B the main character
C one of the minor characters
D the storytelling voice
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
12. Which adjective does not describe the
Wife of Bath’s narrative voice?
F mournful
G witty
H lively
J earthy
13. Which of the following quotations from
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is a couplet?
A “In honor to us both, I don’t care which; / Whatever
pleases you suffices me.”
B “The knight thought long, and with a piteous groan / At
last he said, with all the care in life . . .”
C “His heart went bathing in a bath of blisses / And
melted in a hundred thousand kisses . . .”
D “May I go howling mad and take my life / Unless I
prove to be as good and true . . .”
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
14. The Wife of Bath’s opinions suggest that
she may be described by all the following
words except—
F well-read
G humorous
H modest
J bossy
Written Response:
 Chaucer used lots of couplets, many of which are
lost in translation. Identify at least two places where
the translator used half or slant rhyme.
 Find at least two other places where sound devices
are used.
 What commentary does “Wife of Bath’s Tale” make
on honor, knights, and heroes?
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” by Geoffrey Chaucer
 Using specific details from the text as support, what
is the Wife of Bath’s view of life?
 What evidence is there that this may be different from
Chaucer’s view of life?

Why is this Medieval tale such an interesting
candidate for Postmodern revival?