TESTS AND ANSWERS

TEST 1

_____ 1. During the English Civil War, John Milton was a

A. religious pacifist
B. Royalist pamphleteer
C. Puritan rebel

_____ 2. Paradise Lost is based on the literary traditions of

I. the classical epic
II. Puritan allegory
III. the Bible

A. I and II
B. II and III
C. I and III

_____ 3. We first meet Satan

A. the day he is thrown out of Heaven
B. nine days after the War in Heaven
C. three days after he arrives in Eden

_____ 4. One of Satan's fallen angels in Hell is called

A. Abdiel
B. Uriel
C. Belial

A. the other fallen angels are too cowardly
B. he wants the glory of revenging himself on God
C. it's a quick way to escape from Hell

_____ 6. The gatekeepers of Hell are

A. Sin and Death
B. Love and Hate
C. Chaos and Old Night

_____ 7. In Book III, Milton invokes light because

A. he himself was blind
B. his theme is the light of man's reason
C. his muse comes from Heaven

_____ 8. Adam eats the apple because

A. Satan fools him
B. he loves Eve
C. Michael predicts that Christ will redeem mankind

_____ 9. After Satan returns to Hell, the fallen angels turn into

A. dead leaves
B. snakes
C. apples that taste like ashes

_____ 10. Adam and Eve are led out of Paradise by

A. Satan
B. Raphael
C. Michael

11. In Book XII, lines 557-573, Adam speaks of what he has learned. Relate
each item to the experience in the poem which is the source of Adam's hard-
won wisdom. Are there things that Adam says he has learned which have no
clear connection to his experiences?

12. Is Satan the hero or the villain of Paradise Lost?

13. The poet William Blake wrote: "The reason Milton wrote in fetters
when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell,
is because he was a true poet and therefore of the devil's party without
knowing it." Presumably this means that Milton wrote about the fallen
angels and Satan more freely and sympathetically than he did about the
other characters. What do you think?

14. Someone who doesn't have much time wants to read the essential parts
of Paradise Lost. This person has asked you to recommend the six books
she ought to read. Name those six books and justify your choice.

15. What are the functions of the epic similes?

Table of Contents