English 12 – Chaucer/The Canterbury Tales Test Review Sheet
1. Chaucer notes – read over them!
2. “The Prologue” – you will be allowed to use the character chart we completed
on the test, but it must be YOUR chart--if for some reason yours isn’t done or
you’re missing information from an absence or some other reason, now is your
chance to ask a classmate if you can get the information from them. All charts
will be checked at the beginning of the test tomorrow to make sure you are using
your own chart and not anyone else’s, not a photocopied chart, etc.
3. The Stories:
a) “The Knight’s Tale” (1-Sentence Summary: Arcite and Palamon swear an oath
to one another in their brotherhood, then fight to the death for the love of
beautiful Emily.)
b) “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” (1-Sentence Summary: “What do women want?”
story about a knight who, after raping a young woman, is sentenced to
discover what women truly want in life.)
c) “The Miller’s Tale” (1-Sentence Summary: Tale of an idiot carpenter who is
betrayed by his young wife and the young man who lives under his roof.)
d) “The Pardoner’s Tale” (1-Sentence Summary: “Greed is the root of all evil”
story about 3 men who, in their search for Death, get sidetracked by their
desire for a pile of gold and end up dying as a result.)
e) “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” (1-Sentence Summary: Animal tale featuring a ladies
man rooster whose ego is stroked by a clever fox who almost gets away with a
rooster kidnapping/eating.)
4. A Knight’s Tale/Canterbury Tales Essay prompt – you will choose one of the two
topics below to answer in a minimum 5-paragraph essay. In order to make sure
you have time to answer the comprehension questions plus the essay, you may
choose to begin writing your response tonight for homework and completely get
it done or simply get it started so that you can just finish it up during the testing
period.
Prompt Choice #1: In the film, Chaucer and Wat briefly discuss the fact that men
do not understand women; this same point is emphasized by other events in the
film, as well. Discuss the truth of Chaucer’s assertion that while men do not
understand women, women do understand men. How is this shown not only in the
movie, but also in the Canterbury Tales stories we read in class? (include at least 2
of the tales in your discussion).
Prompt Choice #2: Discuss the development of Count Adhemar as the villain in
the film. Examine his words, actions, and personality, and how these contribute to
him begin seen as the antagonist in the movie. How does Adhemar compare to
the other villains Chaucer uses in The Canterbury Tales? Which paints the villain
portrait better – the film, or the stories? (include at least 2 of the tales in your
discussion).