Central Ideas and Context: Utopia — Unit test Answers

Read the excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.When they had washed well, they went to sit at the table,The most famous knights nearest the top, as was proper,And Guenever, in high spirits, was seated in the middle of them,In the arrangement of the famous table, with them arrayed around her,Fine silk, furthermore, in a canopy over her,Of Toulouse red, and many Tharsian tapestriesEmbroidered and set with the finest of jewelsThat would have cost a great deal if someone had triedto buy them.

Central idea: Utopians distribute wealth to care for all people.

When writing a critique, a reader first finds the central idea and supporting details, then

Read the excerpt from The Pardoner’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales.And it fell to the youngest of them all,And he set off at once towards the town.And thereupon, so soon as he was gone,One of the two who stayed said to the other:"You know, of course, that you are my sworn brother.I’ll tell you something that you won’t lose by.As you can see, our friend has gone away,And here is gold, and that in greatest plenty,All waiting to be split between us three.How would it be, if I can work it soThat it is only shared between us two,Wouldn’t I be doing you a friendly turn?”

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Read the excerpt from The Canterbury Tales.For I’ll have money, wool, and cheese, and wheat,Though given by the poorest serving-lad,Or by the poorest widow in the place,Were all her children dying of famine,No, no! I’ll drink the ichor of the vine,And have a pretty girl in every town.But hear me out now, gentlemen . . .

Read the excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."By God,” the Green Knight said, "I am gladThat I shall have from your hand what I asked for here,And that you have repeated fully, in your own words,The whole of the covenant I asked of the King:Only now you must swear to me, upon your word,That you will expect, for yourself, wherever you manageTo find me on earth, to be repaid in kindFor what you accord me today before this high company.”

find details to support the author’s central idealook to discover the text’s most important ideaexamine and explain their position on a central ideawrite an analogy that explains the text’s main idea

Read the excerpt from Utopia.The folly of men has enhanced the value of gold and silver because of their scarcity; whereas, on the contrary, it is their opinion that Nature, as an indulgent parent, has freely given us all the best things in great abundance, such as water and earth, but has laid up and hid from us the things that are vain and useless.

Read the excerpt from The Canterbury Tales.I only preach of avarice and the like,And in this way induce them to be freeIn giving cash—especially to me.Because my only interest is in gain;I’ve none whatever in rebuking sin.