From the Middle Ages Through the Renaissance — Test
Question 18 • English IV
Read the excerpt from The Canterbury Tales. Dear brethren, God forgive you your trespass, And keep you from the sin of avarice; My holy pardon here can save you all, And will, so long as you make offerings Of gold and silver coin, spoons, brooches, rings— Bow down your heads before this holy bull! Come, ladies, make an offering of your wool! I’ll put your name down on my prayer-roll, And you shall enter to the bliss of heaven Which statement best describes the satire in the excerpt?
Answer
A
Chaucer criticizes the idea that people go to heaven after death.
B
Chaucer criticizes the practice of confessing one’s sins to a priest.
C
Chaucer criticizes the fact that clergymen earn more than peasants.
D
Chaucer criticizes the notion that divine forgiveness depends on giving money.
Explanation
The speaker claims his pardon can save people and promises them heaven, but only if they give him money or valuable goods such as gold, silver, jewelry, or wool. This mocks the idea that divine forgiveness can be bought with offerings. The satire therefore criticizes the notion that forgiveness depends on giving money, not confession itself or differences in income.
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