English Literature CLEP Prep Practice Exam

What form of literature is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales?

1. Short story

2. Novel

3. Poetry

4. Epic poem

The correct answer is: Epic poem

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is not a short story because it has multiple stories within it and a short story is typically defined as a single, self-contained narrative. It is also not a novel because a novel usually has a more cohesive plot and a singular narrative, which Canterbury Tales does not have. While it does contain elements of poetry, it is not solely a collection of poems and lacks the traditional structure and rhyme scheme of poetry. Therefore, it is not a poetry. The most appropriate category for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales would be an epic poem because it is a long, grand narrative with a mixture of genres, multiple characters, and a central theme. It also contains elements such as heroic deeds, supernatural elements, and a grand scope, which are characteristic of an epic poem.