McNair’s Honors English 12 Reading Questions for The Canterbury Tales

“The Pardoner’s Tale” (pgs. 170-180) 1. Explain the difference between situational and verbal irony. 2. Describe the pardoner’s occupation; in other words what power does he have? Explain whether or not you agree with the idea that redemption can be bought. 3. What does the pardoner state about some greedy clergy? Why does the Pardoner admit he preaches to make a personal profit? 4. What do lines 25-31 suggest about how the Pardoner views his life? 5. What does the Pardoner imply by using the term rioters to describe the three men’s way of life? Why is the Pardoner’s description of the young men significant? 6. What vow do the rioters make in the beginning of the tale? How is this promise ironic? 7. Who is the old man? What might he represent, or what purpose might he serve in the story? 8. In lines 124-130 what personification of Death does the old man offer? What does this image suggest? 9. Explain whether or not the old man is sincere. 10. In lines 159-166, the old man points the young men in the direction of Death. What clues does the author provide that demonstrate whether or not Death is an actual character? 11. What do the rioters discover when they follow the old man’s directions? 12. Describe the discussion between the two rioters. How is there pledge ironic? 13. In line 188, why does one young man suggest that the three wait until the cover of night to transport their gold? 14. In lines 201-204, in this example of indirect characterization, what do the speaker’s words reveal about him? 15. What might the man really be trying to accomplish by sending off only one person for supplies? 16. What is ironic about the reason the young man gives for buying the poison? 17. Explain why you think the Pardoner’s relics are either authentic or fake. (lines 314-340)

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” (pgs. 184-196) 1. How does the Wife reveal her nature? (look in the prologue of her tale) 2. What relationships does the Wife explore in her tale? 3. What is the tone of the Wife’s reply to the Pardoner? What does this reveal about her? 4. What disclaimer does the Wife offer in line 30? Why might Chaucer have the Wife of Bath make this disclaimer? 5. What is happening in the opening of this tale? 6. What is the knight’s punishment for this crime? What question does the queen choose for him to answer? Why might the queen choose this question for the knight? 7. Of all the possible answers suggested so far to the knight’s question, which one does the Wife think is the best? Explain your answer. 8. In lines 35-46, describe the Wife’s reaction to the friar’s removal of the fairies. 9. Explain whether or not you agree with the point the Wife makes about women in lines 115-117. 10. Based on lines 119-126, what does the Wife think about the nature of most women? 11. In lines 119-126, the Wife calls women vicious and indiscreet. Explain how her use of the tale of Midas would illustrate this claim. 12. The four and twenty ladies mysteriously vanish. Do you think this is an irrelevant detail? How would the story be different if the knight simply noticed an old woman sitting at the edge of the woods? 13. In lines 185-189, what agreement do the knight and old woman reach? What might be their motivation for this? 14. Why is it significant that the old woman holds the answer to the knight’s question? 15. Read lines 213-216; why is it ironic that this should be the answer that saves the knight’s life? 16. What details provide evidence for how the knight feels about marrying the old woman? What can the reader infer about the knight’s character given his reaction to the old woman? 17. Is the knight’s reaction to the old woman an example of direct or indirect characterization? What does it reveal about his true character? 18. Re-read lines 285-300, paying close attention to the actions the old woman describes. Paraphrase what the old woman says about who is a true gentleman. 19. What is the old woman’s purpose in referring to Dante in lines 301-308? Explain whether or not this an effective means of argument. 20. According to lines 335-340, what is the source of gentility? 21. Why does the woman differentiate between two types of poverty (worldly and spiritual) in lines 353-367? What is she implying by making this distinction? 22. As the speech progresses, the woman uses logical appeals to persuade the knight her point of view. What logical argument does she use in lines 389-392? How effective is it? 23. Read lines 404-412, what does this response tell us about the knight?