Canterbury Tales: the Pardoner's Tale
Name______Date______
Honors English 12 Block______
CANTERBURY TALES: THE PARDONER'S TALE
READING/STUDY GUIDE
Prologue (p. 168)
1. What is the pardoner's motive for preaching? (l.2)
______
2. What scripture (modern translation) does the pardoner always use in his sermons? (l. 4)
______
3. Explain l. 10. What is the antecedent of "that"? ______
4. Copy ll. 26 - 29. ______
______
______
______
The Tale
5. Name at least three activities the three rioters engage in. (ll. 44 - 53)
______
6. As they are sitting in the tavern, what do they hear? (ll. 53 - 57) ______
7. What does one of the rioters want the "tavern knave" to do? (ll. 58 - 61) ______
______
8. What does the boy reply? (ll. 62 - 69) ______
9. Who is the thief the boy refers to in ll. 65 - 69? ______
10. What does one of the rioters propose that he and his friends do? (ll. 85 - 93)
______
11. Who do the rioters meet and what do they ask him? (ll. 103 - 111) ______
______
12. What is the old man's answer? (ll. 112- 132) ______
______
13. What does the old man chide them for? What scripture does he quote? (ll. 133 -138) ______
______
14. What do the rioters accuse the old man of being? What do they want him to reveal? (ll. 145 –
152) ______
15. Where does the old man direct the rioters? (ll. 154 - 161) ______
______
16. What do they find when they get there? What do they immediately forget
about? (ll. 162 - 169) ______
17. Why do they not take the treasure home right away? (ll. 178 - 184) ______
______
18. What solution does one of the rioters propose? (l1. 185 - 195) ______
______
19. Who was selected to go to town? How was he chosen? (ll. 196 - 199) ______
______
20. What do the two who stayed behind decide? (ll. 200 - 230) ______
21. What does the one who went to town decide? (ll. 231 - 246) ______
______
22. Where does he go then and what does he buy? Why does he say he needs this
item? (ll. 247 - 254) ______
23. What does he do with the three bottles? (ll. 264 - 270) ______
24. Describe what happens when he rejoins his friends. (ll. 275 - 284)
______
25. What does the pardoner try to sell to the other pilgrims after he finishes his
tale? (ll. 292 - 299) ______
NOTE: The host becomes so enraged at the pardoner that the knight has to step in and make peace.