Middles Ages Study Guide 2014-2015
Matching
Vocabulary Development
Match the definition with the Vocabulary word from the list below. Write the letter of the correct Vocabulary
word on the line provided.
a. righteous
b. prevailed
c. dauntless
____
____
____
____
____
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
d. dissuade
e. brandishing
gained the desired effect
shaking in a threatening way
morally right
fearless
advise against
Vocabulary Development
Match the definition with the Vocabulary word from the list below. Write the letter of the correct Vocabulary
word on the line provided.
a. benign
b. obstinate
c. frugal
____ 6.
____ 7.
____ 8.
____ 9.
____ 10.
d. agility
e. guile
thrifty; careful with money
ability to move quickly and easily
kind; gracious
sly dealings; skill in deceiving
unreasonably stubborn
Short Answer
Write your response to the questions in this section on the lines provided.
11. What is the allegory that the Pardoner teaches in “The Pardoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales? Focus
on the meaning of allegory in your answer.
12. What do you learn about the time in which “The Pardoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales is set by
rereading these lines? Explain.
And then Death went on his way without a word. / He’s killed a thousand in the present plague, / And,
sir, it doesn’t do to be too vague / If you should meet him, you had best be wary.
13. The rioters represent certain qualities in “The Pardoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales. What qualities
would you say they represent and why?
14. In “The Pardoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales the man whom the rioters meet has a hoary head. How
old would you guess he was? Why?
Write your response to the questions in this section on the lines provided.
15. In The Canterbury Tales, what is the Wife of Bath’s opinion of holy friars? How do you know?
16. Use the context of each italicized word to figure out the meaning of the word. Write the meaning in the chart.
Write your response to the questions in this section on the lines provided.
17. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain apologizes to the Green Knight in the final scene. Why does
he do so?
18. What events in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Morte d’Arthur deviate from the ideals of chivalry?
Explain.
19. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain apologizes to the Green Knight in the final scene. Why does
he do so?
20. What events in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Morte d’Arthur deviate from the ideals of chivalry?
Explain.
Written Response to the Standard
The question below refers to the selection “from The Wife of Bath’s Tale.”
21. Based on “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” what is Chaucer’s view of life? Compare and contrast Chaucer’s view
with the Wife of Bath’s view of life. Give evidence from the text for the presence of each view of life. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Write your response to the questions in this section on the lines provided.
22. Summarize the meaning of this passage from the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales, using the who, what,
when, why, and how questioning strategy.
Whatever money from his friends he took/He spent on learning or another book/And prayed for them
most earnestly, reyurning/Thanks to them thus for paying for his learning.
23. How would you best describe the narrator in the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales? Explain.
24. In the chart, list three pilgrims from different social classes in the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales.
Briefly describe each character and tell which level of society each represents.
25. In the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes the Franklin as a sanguine man. What kind of
man is he, and how does Chaucer show it?
Essay
Extended Response
Write an extended response to the question of your choice or to the question or questions your teacher assigns
you.
26. Thinking About the Big Question: Do writers influence social trends or just reflect them? Many of
Chaucer’s characters reflect the social issues of his time. In an essay, describe the Pardoner’s job and how it
reflects society’s attitudes toward the Church and toward Death. Use examples from “The Pardoner’s Tale”
from The Canterbury Tales to support your ideas.
Extended Response
Write an extended response to the question of your choice or to the question or questions your teacher assigns
you.
27. Thinking About the Big Question: Do writers influence social trends or just reflect them? After The
Canterbury Tales was written, the Wife of Bath became a recognizable social type, found in many literary
works. What characteristics does she represent as a woman? What social ideas, both positive and negative, do
she and her tale reflect? Use details from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” to support your ideas.
28. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Morte d’Arthur are two of the best-known chivalric romances of the
Middle Ages. Write an essay in which you explain, first, what chivalry is, and second, how its ideals and
code of conduct are represented in the poems. Refer not only to the characters and conduct of Gawain and
Arthur but also to those of other characters. Note the conflicts that arise over chivalric values and how the
romances resolve those conflicts.
Extended Response
Write an extended response to the question of your choice or to the question or questions your teacher assigns
you.
29. As the father of English poetry, Chaucer is well-known for his insight into human character. In an essay,
explain how Chaucer’s expertise with characterization is evident in the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales.
Use specific examples from the poem to elaborate on your thoughts.
Oral Response
30. Go back to questions 1, 3, 4, or to the question your teacher assigns to you. Take a few minutes to expand
your answer and prepare an oral response. Find additional details in the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales
that will support your points. If necessary, make notes to guide your response.