Pardoner’s Tale Questions—answer in complete sentences! 

Name ______Class ______Date ______

1. The Pardoner admits that he does what (pg. 168)?

2. He also admits that he likes rich food and what else (pg. 168-169)?

3. In the beginning of the story, the three young men are doing what (pg. 169)?

4. The Pardoner stops in the middle of his tale to preach about what?

5. When the coffin passes at the Inn who do the three men tell to go find out who died (pg. 169)?

6. What was the “sneaky thief’s” name that killed the friend of the three men (pg. 169)?

7. Where did the old man say they could find the “sneaky thief” (pg. 172)?

8. How many bushels of gold did they find (pg. 172)?

9. What was the youngest man’s plan (pg. 173)?

10. What was the plan of the other two men (pg. 173)?

11. What happens when all three of the men put their plans into effect (pg. 174)?

12. What does the Pardoner want the rest of the pilgrims to buy at the end of the story (pg. 175)?

13. Who is the person he suggests should buy one first (pg. 175)?

14. Who restores the peace before they finally ride off (pg. 175)? 15. Evaluate the moral of the story the Pardoner tells:

a. What is the moral of the story?

b. Do you think the moral is actually true? Why or why not?

16. Do people with the Pardoner’s ethics exist today—in all sorts of professions? Explain your response.

17. What moral do you think Chaucer wants you to draw from “The Pardoner’s Tale”?

18. What aspects of medieval society (and human nature in general) do you think Chaucer is satirizing in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?

19. List 2 examples of irony in “The Pardoner’s Tale.”

a.

b.