Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CANTOS 1-15

Reading Check

1. Where is Dante wandering at the beginning of the poem?

2. Whose shade greets Dante and promises to become his guide?

3. What is the name of the first souls Dante meets on the outskirts of Hell, who committed to neither good nor evil?

4. Who is the frightening creature who judges the souls who first arrive in Hell?

4. What is the City of Dis?

5. Which event on Earth caused an earthquake and landslide in Hell?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Dante try to climb the mountain? Why does he give up?

2. Why does Virgil say he cannot guide Dante past Purgatory?

3. According to Dante, what is the true nature of Fortune? How is this view of Fortune different from the view embraced by the avaricious and prodigal?

4. How does Farinata explain the ability of the dead to predict the future? Why are the dead unable to know what is happening in the present?

5. What are the three major divisions of Hell?