The Parliament of Fowls MCQs & Summary

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman | Last updated: February 26, 2025

Summary:

The Parliament of Fowls is a dream vision poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century. The poem explores themes of love, free will, and the natural order. It is one of the earliest examples of Valentine’s Day literature and is believed to have been inspired by the marriage negotiations of King Richard II.

The narrator, likely Chaucer himself, describes reading Cicero’s The Dream of Scipio, which leads him into a dream where he enters a beautiful garden. There, he finds a gathering of birds—from eagles to sparrows—led by Nature, who serves as their ruler.

The birds have gathered to choose mates, and three male eagles compete for the love of a single female eagle. However, she refuses to make an immediate choice, asserting her right to decide. Nature allows her to wait a year before choosing. The rest of the birds, impatient with the debate, break into joyful singing and celebrate love in their own way.

The poem ends as the narrator wakes up, reflecting on the nature of love and the complexity of human relationships.


MCQs:

  1. Who wrote The Parliament of Fowls?
    A) William Shakespeare
    B) Geoffrey Chaucer
    C) John Milton
    D) Thomas Malory
    Answer: B) Geoffrey Chaucer
  2. What type of poem is The Parliament of Fowls?
    A) Epic
    B) Elegy
    C) Dream Vision
    D) Sonnet
    Answer: C) Dream Vision
  3. Which Roman philosopher’s work inspires the narrator’s dream?
    A) Cicero
    B) Aristotle
    C) Plato
    D) Seneca
    Answer: A) Cicero

    The Parliament of Fowls
    The Parliament of Fowls
  4. Who presides over the gathering of birds?
    A) The narrator
    B) Cupid
    C) Venus
    D) Nature
    Answer: D) Nature
  5. What are the birds gathered for?
    A) A battle
    B) A celebration
    C) Choosing mates
    D) Worshiping the sun
    Answer: C) Choosing mates
  6. How many male eagles compete for the female eagle?
    A) One
    B) Two
    C) Three
    D) Four
    Answer: C) Three
  7. What does the female eagle decide to do?
    A) Choose the strongest eagle
    B) Wait a year before deciding
    C) Reject all suitors
    D) Leave the parliament
    Answer: B) Wait a year before deciding
  8. What is one major theme of the poem?
    A) The power of war
    B) The unpredictability of fate
    C) Free will in love
    D) The downfall of kings
    Answer: C) Free will in love
  9. Why is The Parliament of Fowls considered significant in literary history?
    A) It is the first poem about war
    B) It influenced Shakespeare’s tragedies
    C) It is an early example of Valentine’s Day poetry
    D) It introduced the sonnet form
    Answer: C) It is an early example of Valentine’s Day poetry
  10. How does the poem end?
    A) The female eagle chooses a mate
    B) The narrator wakes up
    C) The birds start fighting
    D) Nature punishes the birds
    Answer: B) The narrator wakes up
Question Answer
Title The Parliament of Fowls
Author Geoffrey Chaucer
Time Period Late 14th century
Genre Dream Vision, Allegory
Themes Love, Free Will, Natural Order
Setting A dream garden with a gathering of birds
Main Characters The narrator, Nature, various birds
Significance One of the first Valentine’s Day poems
Symbolism Birds represent different social classes and love ideals
Ending The narrator wakes up, reflecting on love
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