Poor Richard's Almanack quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Which combination of genres best describes Poor Richard's Almanack?

   • Correct answer: Essay, Almanac, Aphorism & Satire
   • Autobiography, Memoir & Letters
   • Gothic Fiction, Mystery & Horror
   • Romantic Poetry, Ballad & Lyric Verse

   Correct! The almanac blends practical calendar content with aphoristic wisdom, satirical humor, and essay-length moral instruction -- especially in the final 1758 edition.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Which saying gives the same advice as "Wink at small faults; remember thou hast great ones"?

   • Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults
   • The wise man draws more advantage from his enemies, than the fool from his friends
   • Distrust and caution are the parents of security
   • Correct answer: Don't throw stones at your neighbours, if your own windows are glass

   Both sayings tell you to go easy on other people's faults, because you have faults too. Glass windows break easily. If you throw stones at a neighbour, your own windows could break next. The saying about enemies is different. It says enemies help you see your faults.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What pseudonym did Benjamin Franklin use to publish the almanac?

   • Isaac Bickerstaff, a satirical astrologer
   • Silence Dogood, a minister's widow who wrote letters to a newspaper
   • Correct answer: Poor Richard (Richard Saunders), a struggling almanac-maker
   • Father Abraham, a wise old man speaking at an auction

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4. 4

   Question 4. What literary hoax inspired Franklin's creation of the Poor Richard persona?

   • Daniel Defoe's fictional "Robinson Crusoe" journal entries
   • Correct answer: Jonathan Swift's "Isaac Bickerstaff" astrologer hoax
   • Alexander Pope's satirical "Dunciad" attacks on rival poets
   • Samuel Johnson's fictitious "Rasselas" philosophical tale

   Swift created a fake astrologer who predicted real astrologers' deaths. Franklin borrowed this device -- Poor Richard also predicted the deaths of rival almanac publishers as a running joke.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Who did Franklin describe as his intended audience for the almanac?

   • Church clergy and religious educators
   • Wealthy merchants and political leaders of Philadelphia
   • European philosophers and Enlightenment intellectuals
   • Correct answer: "Middling people" -- literate but not wealthy colonists

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6. 6

   Question 6. What proportion of the proverbs did Franklin actually write himself?

   • Nearly all of them -- Franklin was a prolific original writer
   • About half -- he split between original and borrowed sayings
   • Correct answer: Roughly one in ten -- most were adapted from earlier sources
   • None -- he simply reprinted existing proverb collections

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7. 7

   Question 7. Which proverb best captures the almanac's central theme of frugality and industry?

   • "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead"
   • Correct answer: "No gains without pains"
   • "Fish and visitors stink in three days"
   • "A true friend is the best possession"

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8. 8

   Question 8. In which year of the almanac did "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" first appear?

   • Correct answer: 1735, in the third edition
   • 1742, in the tenth edition
   • 1758, in the final edition
   • 1733, in the very first edition

   This famous proverb appeared in the 1735 edition alongside another classic: "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

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9. 9

   Question 9. In "Act uprightly, and despise calumny," what does CALUMNY mean?

   • Financial hardship caused by excessive spending habits
   • Public embarrassment from a failure of good manners
   • Honest criticism of a person's faults, offered to help them improve
   • Correct answer: False and damaging statements meant to ruin a reputation

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10. 10

    Question 10. What literary device does Franklin use in "Eat to live, and not live to eat"?

    • Metaphor -- comparing eating to a deeper philosophical concept
    • Correct answer: Antithesis -- reversing word order to contrast moderation with excess
    • Alliteration -- repeating initial consonant sounds for emphasis
    • Hyperbole -- exaggerating the importance of eating habits

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Franklin mean by "It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright"?

    • Empty promises cannot support the weight of public expectations
    • Physical strength matters more than intellectual ability in colonial life
    • Expensive clothing is necessary to be taken seriously in society
    • Correct answer: Without financial resources, it is difficult to maintain moral integrity

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12. 12

    Question 12. In "Dost thou love life, then do not squander time," what does SQUANDER mean?

    • Correct answer: To waste something valuable in a reckless or foolish manner
    • To invest time or money in a risky but potentially rewarding venture
    • To share generously with others who are in greater need
    • To carefully measure and allocate a limited resource

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13. 13

    Question 13. What sustained dramatic irony runs throughout the entire almanac?

    • The proverbs mock education, but Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania
    • The proverbs counsel patience, but Franklin published the almanac hastily each year
    • Correct answer: The humble, struggling "Poor Richard" was actually one of the wealthiest men in the colonies
    • The almanac advises thrift, but Franklin spent lavishly on his printing equipment

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14. 14

    Question 14. What is "The Way to Wealth" and how does it relate to the almanac?

    • An advertisement Franklin placed in the almanac to promote his printing business
    • A separate book Franklin published after the almanac ended, about investing in colonial trade
    • Correct answer: The preface to the final 1758 edition, weaving 25 years of proverbs into an essay narrated by Father Abraham
    • A rival almanac published by a competing Philadelphia printer to mock Poor Richard's proverbs

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15. 15

    Question 15. How many copies per year did Poor Richard's Almanack sell at its peak?

    • Correct answer: Approximately 10,000 copies per year, extraordinary for the era
    • Over 50,000 copies per year, rivaling modern bestsellers
    • About 500 copies per year, typical for colonial pamphlets
    • Roughly 2,000 copies per year, a modest colonial success

    Print runs of 10,000 per year made it one of the most successful publications in the Thirteen Colonies -- a remarkable achievement in an era when most pamphlets sold only a few hundred copies.

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16. 16

    Question 16. How does the almanac reflect Enlightenment philosophy?

    • It argues for the divine right of kings and asks readers to obey church and royal authority without question
    • Correct answer: It encourages readers to rely on personal effort and rational decision-making rather than superstition
    • It promotes romantic emotion and gut feeling over logic, evidence and careful thought
    • It calls for revolutionary violence against the British Crown and its colonial governors

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17. 17

    Question 17. In "Search others for their virtues, thy self for thy vices," what are VICES?

    • Personal opinions or strongly held political beliefs
    • Close friends or trusted companions in daily life
    • Professional skills or trades practiced for a living
    • Correct answer: Immoral behaviors or habitual faults in character

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18. 18

    Question 18. Which proverb best demonstrates Franklin's cynical observations about human nature?

    • "He is ill cloth'd, who is bare of Virtue"
    • "A true friend is the best possession"
    • Correct answer: "Fools make feasts and wise men eat 'em"
    • "Love, and be loved"

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19. 19

    Question 19. What is an aphorism, the primary literary form used in the almanac?

    • A formal argument with premises and a logical conclusion
    • A rhythmic poem with a fixed meter and rhyme scheme
    • A long, detailed narrative that teaches a moral lesson through storytelling
    • Correct answer: A short, memorable statement expressing a general truth or principle

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20. 20

    Question 20. Why is Poor Richard's Almanack considered foundational to American literature?

    • It introduced European Romantic poetry to American audiences for the first time
    • Correct answer: It was the first work to articulate distinctly American values: self-reliance, hard work, and democratic common sense
    • It established the novel as the dominant American literary form, ahead of poetry and plays
    • It was the first American work translated into more than ten languages

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21. 21

    Question 21. In "To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish," what does PERSIST mean?

    • Correct answer: To continue firmly in a course of action despite knowing it is wrong
    • To make a mistake or an error, often through carelessness or poor judgment
    • To forgive someone who has wronged you repeatedly
    • To apologize sincerely and make amends for a mistake

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22. 22

    Question 22. What wisdom does "Wink at small faults; remember thou hast great ones" counsel?

    • Ignore all faults in others to maintain social harmony and avoid conflict
    • Correct answer: Overlook minor faults in others because you have even larger faults of your own
    • Pretend not to notice crimes so that you will not be called as a witness
    • Focus only on your own great achievements and ignore your small failings

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