Aesop's Fables — Comprehension Quiz

Multiple Choice

1. Who wrote the new translation of Aesop's Fables described in this edition?
A) G. K. Chesterton
B) Arthur Rackham
C) V. S. Vernon Jones
D) Aesop himself

2. Who illustrated this 1912 edition of the Fables?
A) Arthur Rackham
B) V. S. Vernon Jones
C) G. K. Chesterton
D) Babrius

3. Who wrote the introduction to this edition?
A) V. S. Vernon Jones
B) G. K. Chesterton
C) Herodotus
D) Perrault

4. According to the introduction, what was Aesop traditionally believed to have been?
A) A Greek king
B) A Phrygian slave
C) A French nobleman
D) A Roman soldier

5. According to legend, what happened to Aesop at Delphi?
A) He was crowned a hero
B) He was hurled over a high precipice
C) He was made a king
D) He wrote his final fable

6. In whose time did Aesop reportedly live, according to the introduction?
A) Croesus
B) Julius Caesar
C) Alexander the Great
D) Herodotus

7. According to Chesterton, what is true of characters in a fable, unlike in a fairy tale?
A) They must be human
B) They must be impersonal, like pieces in chess
C) They must fight dragons
D) They must marry princesses

8. Which of the following is listed as a fable title in the table of contents?
A) "The Tortoise and the Hare's Cousin"
B) "The Lion and the Mouse"
C) "The Wolf and the King"
D) "The Fox and the Golden Egg"

Short Answer

9. According to Chesterton's introduction, why can a fable not have real human beings in it, while a fairy tale must have them?

10. Chesterton compares Aesop to another famous storyteller who was also enslaved and told stories about animals. Who was this storyteller?

11. List three fable titles from the table of contents that mention two different animals in their name (for example, "The Fox and the Grapes").

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Answer Key

1. C) V. S. Vernon Jones
2. A) Arthur Rackham
3. B) G. K. Chesterton
4. B) A Phrygian slave
5. B) He was hurled over a high precipice
6. A) Croesus
7. B) They must be impersonal, like pieces in chess
8. B) "The Lion and the Mouse"

1. Because fables rely on characters that are always and only themselves (like chess pieces or algebra symbols) so they can teach simple truths clearly; if animals were made human, we would expect human complexity, good humor, or moral exceptions, which would ruin the simplicity of the lesson. Fairy tales, by contrast, depend entirely on human personality and choice to drive the story.

1. Uncle Remus

1. Any three titles pairing two animals, such as: "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Wolf and the Lamb," "The Fox and the Crow," "The Fox and the Stork," "The Ass and the Lap-Dog," "The Dog and the Sow," etc.