Antiques Roadshow Multiple Choice Quiz | Authors

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to "Antiques Roadshow," tonight coming to you from Pilgrimage Hall in Canterbury. Situated in this cathedral town, at the end of a well-travelled route, Pilgrimage Hall attracts "sundry folk" with a wide range of objects for evaluation by our experts. Our first item, brought in by the leader of a tour group, was authenticated by our CHALLENGED DOCUMENTS division. It's a menu from a busy London inn and restaurant. Can you name the popular eatery?

Answer: The Tabard

Geoffrey Chaucer had already established his literary credentials by the time he undertook to write "The Canterbury Tales" in the 1380s. He appears to have had an ambitious plan for the "Tales": he structured them around a varied series of stories; he used them to criticize society, especially the church and its practices; and he wrote in the language commonly in use in the society of the time, instead of Latin or French, which were more preferred in contemporary scholarship.

It was very common in Chaucer's day for groups of people to journey to Canterbury to visit its cathedral.

The expeditions relied on the strength-in-numbers theory for safety and mutual aid. It was customary for the groups to depart from an inn such as Chaucer's Tabard. In planning the "Tales", Chaucer included himself as the non-story-telling narrator; the owner of the Tabard who acts as Host, Master of Ceremonies, and Judge; and 29 story-telling pilgrims. Chaucer had planned to have each pilgrim tell two tales on the way to Canterbury from London and two on the return, but we have a record of only the first tale told by each.

2. Canterbury is a popular destination for tourists from all walks of life and levels of piety. It's a common practice for them to travel in groups; and they often pass the time on the road by telling stories to each other. These "Tales" have been collected and the tour group documented by the author Geoffrey Chaucer. This item, from another member of the tour group, caused great excitement in our GARMENTS section, even though it appeared creased and stained from the other gear with which it was worn. This is a tunic, made from simple fustian, and its great value comes not so much from the intrinsic nature of its cloth, but from the story its wear pattern and stains tell of its owner's exemplary life. Who was the pious, gentle, and brave person who presented this garment?

Answer: The Knight

Chaucer chose to have the Knight begin the stories not only because, in the society of the day, a knight would have held an extremely high rank, but also because Chaucer admired the Knight's bravery, idealism, and devotion to duty (he has been on fifteen Crusades).

The Knight leads the procession; his garments are not ostentatious (rust from his armor has stained his tunic); and although he his soft-spoken, his bearing speaks loudly. Chaucer describes him as a "perfect, gentle, knight."

3. One storytelling practice in tour groups making the trip to Canterbury is to invite group members to "requite," or respond to, the tales told by each other. The tour group leader can stage-manage the presentations so as to maximize contrast and drama between and among the story-tellers, thus providing a more exciting travel experience for them and a more enjoyable story for Chaucer's memoir. Our MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS department was thrilled for the opportunity to examine a set of bagpipes which were played by their owner as the group started on its way. The pipes were brought in by that owner, who had drunkenly defied the tour leader and jumped in to narrate out of order. Who was this red-haired "husky knave", whose nose was tipped with a hairy wart?

Answer: The Miller

The Miller is as loud, brash, and profane as the knight is laconic and upright. He is an example of one type of working man, in contrast to the Knight, church-people, and more skilled workers. The Miller is physically imposing and strong, with a big head and hands which he uses to break down doors.

He has been known to "skim" grain from his customers for his own use and to make exorbitant charges. He's often intoxicated, and has a preference for tales of debauchery. After the Knight has finished his tale, the Host asks the Monk to follow suit.

But the Miller jumps the order and drunkenly tells his ribald tale. The Miller plays his pipes to accompany the pilgrims on their way.

4. As noted by Chaucer, tour groups journeying to Canterbury often contain smaller clusters of pilgrims making the journey together. Usually these sub-groups are united by occupation, station in life, or mere convenience, and can be hierarchical even within their small numbers. Our next item was submitted by the leader of one of these clusters in the larger tour group. The JEWELRY department estimates that this gold brooch, engraved with "Amor vincit omnia," is one of the most valuable it has ever seen. Which traveler, described as tenderhearted, courteous, and coy, wore this artifact?

Answer: The Prioress

The Prioress travels with another Nun and their Priest, who acts as chaplain. As the ranking member of the trio, the Prioress strives to show excellent manners, dress, and language skills (although her French was learned in England and not in France).

She is kind, compassionate, and charitable; physically she is taller than average, with a broad forehead, but has a small mouth, dainty hands, and gray eyes. Her golden brooch hangs from a set of coral rosary beads, and she wears striking robes.

5. Religion is a major focus of the lives of the groups travelling to Canterbury, whose primary attraction is its magnificent cathedral containing a shrine to the martyred Thomas Becket. Chaucer has documented that the Crusades to the Holy Land are fresh in the minds of the populace; and persons claiming to be in possession of holy relics from those expeditions are everywhere. Our RELIGION department, assisted by colleagues from the Museum of Anthropology and the Veterinary College, cannot confirm the authenticity of a "relic" purported to be a bone from the hand of a saint. Indeed, the experts doubt that the bone in question is even human, saying that it is almost certainly from "sus domesticus," more commonly known as the domestic pig. Which traveller, who was yellow-haired, jolly, and "hot from Rome," presented this questionable item to our experts?

Answer: The Pardoner

The Pardoner is the pilgrim for which Chaucer has the lowest regard, and through his character Chaucer attacks some of the worst church practices of the day, both sanctioned and unsanctioned. Chief among these is the selling of indulgences, written church pardons from Rome. Chaucer also pokes fun at the practices of those who attempt to sell everyday items (bones, linens, rocks) as sacred relics to unsophisticated believers. Similarly, Chaucer states that the Pardoner has a moving oratorical style, but employs it in an effort to persuade worshippers to make charitable contributions which he then converts to his own use.

6. As noted by Chaucer, it is not uncommon to see members of religious orders out and about in society; the same is true of the tour groups going to Canterbury. These church people have eschewed the cloistered life: the best of them do it in order to minister directly to the poor, sick, or spiritually needy; others simply do not wish to turn their backs on the material comforts of life. Researchers in our SADDLERY division were fascinated by the artifact submitted by one such ecclesiastical pilgrim. This item was a bridle, elaborately trimmed with bells, which jingled while he rode. Described as a lavishly dressed person who enjoyed hunting and the best food, who was the owner of the bridle?

Answer: The Monk

Through the Monk, Chaucer skewers those churchmen who take vows of poverty and chastity, pledging to live lives of cloistered contemplation, only to reject their vows in favor of living indulgently. The Monk has found the rules of his order too strict, and chose instead to keep fine horses, dress in robes trimmed in fur and gold, dine on the finest food, enjoy sexual pleasure, spend most of his time hunting, and otherwise satisfy his every appetite.

He can't understand why he should be stuck indoors doing chores as required by St. Augustine.

7. Education for these travelers to Canterbury, especially higher or university education, is largely reserved for people contemplating a religious application for it, either as clergy or as a teacher to the next generation of clergy. Chaucer describes the most devoted of these students as electing to live in the relative isolation of academia rather than in the larger world. The LITERARY department was overwhelmed by the fine collection of books on philosophy brought in by one of the pilgrims. The number and quality of the volumes in the collection belied the very simple appearance of their owner, who claimed that he preferred buying books to maintaining a lavish lifestyle. Who was the person who presented these books, described as "threadbare" and "far from debonair"?

Answer: The Clerk

Chaucer admires the Clerk, or the Oxford Cleric, and describes him as so poor that he and his horse are rake-thin. He prays for the people who have contributed to his education, and spends almost all of the money on educational costs, especially books.

He has no interest in the outward trappings of an up-and-coming academic, preferring to devote his time to study and contemplation. The Clerk is described as quiet and shy, although when he needs to speak he does so with a minimum of words and with good sense and reverence.

In one of the few quotable passages from "The Canterbury Tales," Chaucer describes the Clerk: "And gladly would he learn and gladly teach."

8. Members of Canterbury tour groups from the non-clerical segment of society represent a wide range of occupations. These pilgrims may be guild members or craftsmen; work on the land; administer various institutions; or practice law or medicine. Chaucer shows that these sojourners have varied types of travel experience: some have been on one or more Crusades; others are making one of the first trips out of their home area. The staff in the COSTUMES department had never seen such a fine specimen of hosiery as that presented to them by this pilgrim. The stockings were bright red and were part of an equally-elaborate outfit worn on the journey. Who was their owner, who was slightly deaf, gap-toothed, and enjoyed an amiable argument?

Answer: The Wife of Bath

Chaucer includes the Wife of Bath for two purposes. The purpose most commented on is to show the situation with secular women of the day; however another was to illustrate the competence of the era's skilled craftspeople. In this latter capacity the Wife of Bath is an expert seamstress whose work is on a par with the finest in Europe. Such competence has helped to make her wealthy, as have her five marriages.

Her wealth and sewing skill allow her to dress opulently, affording the best fabrics, shoes, and hats.

She has made many trips to Europe and the Holy Land; so the trip to Canterbury is but a jaunt to her. The Wife of Bath's five marriages serve to illustrate both her own lusty nature and the fact that most women of the era had to rely on their husbands for economic security and a place in society.

9. Groups making the trip to Canterbury have to be somewhat concerned about their safety on the road. Therefore, it is always a good idea to have pilgrims who are familiar with weapons in each group. Just as Chaucer describes several members of the tour group carrying musical instruments, religious medals, or tools of their trades, he also notes that several travel with implements that can be used for self-defense. Our experts in ARMS AND MILITARIA considered a set of bows and arrows they reviewed to be among the finest in their experience: the bow was "mighty"; the arrows "bright and keen", with feathers that did not droop. Who was their owner, dressed all in green, who was an expert practitioner of woodcraft and forestry?

Answer: The Yeoman

The Yeoman travels in the company of the Knight and the Squire, forming one of the more worthy subgroups of pilgrims in Chaucer's esteem. Besides his bow and arrows, the Yeoman carries a sword, shield, and dagger. Weapons all, these items are also useful in the Yeoman's peacetime occupation as a forester.

In Chaucer's society, the three men travelling together would likely have served a landed noble: the Yeoman working on the noble's land in peacetime; the Knight and Squire (who was the Knight's son) serving as advisors, assistants, and "security consultants" to the noble.

10. During this era of pilgrimages to Canterbury, the process of preparing books for publication has coincidentally improved both in accuracy and speed. Authors such as Chaucer often employ assistants, or scribes, to help them to organize their notes and put their writings into final form. Once a book has reached this stage, it is ready to be sent to small workshops where other scribes copy the books in numbers for sale to those who can afford them. The MANUSCRIPTS group was initially quite impressed with a document, submitted by a scribe, purporting to be Chaucer's written record of the group's trip to Canterbury. The work, composed in impeccable Old English and featuring beautiful calligraphy, was nevertheless rejected. What reason did the experts give for their conclusion that the manuscript was not authentic?

Answer: Chaucer wrote in Middle English (not Old English)

Middle English was well-established as the vernacular by the late 1300s in Chaucer's England. His decision to write "The Canterbury Tales" in that language is one of the reasons the work is considered revolutionary. Although methods of copying manuscripts had improved by Chaucer's day, they were still crude. Methods from the Far East such as block printing were still in very limited use; and the development of moveable type and the printing press were still the better part of a century away. No contemporary copy of "The Canterbury Tales" survives, and those secondary manuscripts in existence are fragmentary.

The oldest manuscript still in existence is "The Hengwrt," from Wales; the most lavishly produced and illuminated is "The Ellesmere", from near Oxford.

Source: Author shorthumbz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Antiques Roadshow Trivia Quiz

Students of "The Canterbury Tales" unearthed a video proving that another roadshow visited the "Roadshow" when the famous television program stopped in Canterbury, circa 1381 AD. Who and what appeared on this landmark broadcast? Let's go to the tape ...

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