Utopia

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

POEMS & LETTERS

Reading Check

1. Who are named as the authors of the two poems at the beginning of the text?

2. To whom does Thomas More say he is sending the manuscript of his book?

3. What essential piece of information does More ask Peter Gilles to get from Raphael Nonsenso?

4. To whom is Peter Gilles’s letter addressed?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does More say that he is unsure whether he should publish his book?

2. Why does Peter Gilles not know the location of Utopia?

3. How does Peter Gilles explain the absence of Utopia in any geographical work?

4. What does Peter Gilles ask Busleiden for?

Paired Resource

“Freedom, the State, and the Individual” by Sir John Baker

• This academic article discusses the concepts of freedom, the state, and the individual during the Tudor period.
• This connects to the theme of Individual Freedoms and the Common Good.
• How do More and Gilles present the publication of Utopia as being in the interest of individual freedoms and the common good?

Europe and England in the Sixteenth Century by T. A. Morris

• This textbook surveys the connections between England and the rest of Europe in the 16th century.
• This connects to the theme of Social Problems and Solutions.
• What were some of the problems facing English and European societies in the 16th century?

BOOK 1

Reading Check

1. Where does More meet Raphael Nonsenso?

2. With whom did Raphael Nonsenso discuss the social problems of England during dinner?

3. What is the penalty for theft in England?

4. Who describes the island of Utopia to More?

5. How long does Raphael claim to have lived in Utopia?

Short Answer

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

1. Who is Raphael Nonsenso, and how does he impress More?

2. Why does Raphael reject Gilles’s idea that he should enter the service of a royal court?

3. How does Raphael explain the prevalence of theft and poverty in England?

4. Why does Raphael argue against maintaining a standing army?

5. What needs to happen for a just society to be achieved, according to Raphael?

Paired Resource

An Introduction to Tudor England

• This source introduces the history of Tudor England (1485-1603) and the political, social, cultural, and religious issues of the period.
• This connects to the theme of Social Problems and Solutions.
• What structural solutions does Raphael pose for addressing some of the systemic problems of Tudor England?

“Plato on Utopia”

• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers a comprehensive overview of Plato’s utopian experiments in his Republic and Laws.
• This connects to the themes of The Origins of Social Problems and Solutions, The Relationship Between Individual Freedoms and the Common Good, and The Pernicious Effects of Private Property.
• How are Plato’s ideal cities and laws similar to and different from those described by Raphael in More’s Utopia?

BOOK 2

Reading Check

1. Who separated Utopia from the mainland?

2. What is the name of the capital city of Utopia?

3. Who is responsible for each local grouping of thirty households?

4. What is the basic job shared by all Utopians?

5. What is the chief responsibility of the Stywards?

6. Where do most Utopians eat supper?

Short Answer

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

1. Why do the towns of Utopia have no interest in extending their boundaries?

2. Why do the Utopians have a rule against debating a resolution on the day it is proposed?

3. Why is a six-hour workday sufficient to ensure that the Utopians never suffer a shortage of essential goods?

4. What do the Utopians do with all the wealth they acquire from industry and trade?

5. How do the Flatulentine diplomats humiliate themselves on their embassy to Utopia?

6. On what point do all the different religious sects of Utopia agree?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Republic by Plato

• In one of Plato’s most famous works, he discusses the nature of morality and the essential characteristics of the ideal city or “republic.”
• Shared themes include The Origins of Social Problems and Solutions, The Relationship Between Individual Freedoms and the Common Good, and The Pernicious Effects of Private Property.   
• The Republic on SuperSummary

New Atlantis by Francis Bacon

• This unfinished novel describes the customs and culture of the utopian island of Bensalem.
• Shared themes include The Origins of Social Problems and Solutions and The Relationship Between Individual Freedoms and the Common Good.
• New Atlantis summary on SuperSummary