The Friar is called a worthy man and the best beggar, yet he knows taverns and barmaids better than lepers. What does the praise do?

The Monk is praised as fit to be an abbot while he hunts, keeps greyhounds, and dismisses old monastic rules. What is ironic about that praise?

The Prioress has delicate manners, French from Stratford, tears for a mouse, and meat-fed little dogs. What does the narrator's praise reveal?

The Physician is praised as unmatched in medicine, but he profits with apothecaries and loves gold from the plague. What does this ironic praise expose?

The Merchant speaks solemnly of profits and exchange, but no one knows he is in debt. What does the praise of his business manner do?

The Summoner can quote Latin when drunk and lets a man keep a concubine for a quart of wine. What is the effect of praising his knowledge?

The Pardoner sings the offertory well and earns more with false relics than a parson earns in months. How does the praise damn him?

The Friar gives easy penance for gifts and avoids the poor sick people. What estate-satire target is Chaucer sharpening?

Chaucer says the Physician loved gold "in special," since gold is used in medicine as a cordial. What is the joke?

The Monk prefers hunting, horses, and greyhounds to the old rules of his order. Which social target is under attack?

The Summoner will ignore a man's concubine for a quart of wine. What institution is being satirized?

With his fake relics, the Pardoner gets more money in one day than the Parson earns in two months. What does the comparison show?

The Merchant's fine hat, boots, and talk of exchange hide his debts. What social weakness is Chaucer satirizing?

The pilgrim-narrator often sounds admiring while details of greed and worldliness pile up. What does that narrative distance achieve?

The narrator apologizes if he does not set people in proper rank and says his wit is short. What pose does this create?

The narrator seems to accept the Monk's scorn for old rules, asking why he should study in a cloister. How should the reader take this?

The narrator lists the Monk's fur sleeves, gold pin, and love-knot before calling him healthy. How does this distance work?

The narrator says he will tell each pilgrim's condition and array. Why does that matter for irony?

The Merchant wants the sea guarded at any cost between Middelburg and Orwell. What does this concern reveal about him?

The Cook can boil, roast, fry, and bake, but the portrait also notes an open sore on his shin. What is the effect?

The Prioress wears a rosary with a brooch reading "Amor vincit omnia." What does that detail do?

The Miller has a wart, a furnace-like mouth, and a 'thumb of gold' while stealing grain. What effect do these details create?

The Knight's coat is stained from armor; the Squire's clothes are embroidered, and he sings and plays all day. What contrast is set up?

The Parson visits his parish in rain and practices what he teaches; the Friar seeks taverns and rich company. What does the comparison sharpen?

The Clerk is threadbare and spends on books; the Merchant looks stylish, talks profit, and hides debt. What irony emerges from the pair?