Beowulf

Multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer.

1. "The bracelet-wearing queen had carried the mead cup among them" contains an example of Anglo-Saxon
   
   

   a) personification.
   b) metaphor.
   c) caesura.
   d) kenning.




2. When Beowulf travels across the sea with fourteen of the "bravest and best of the Geats", he is going to rescue the demoralized warriors of
   
   

   a) Wulfgar.
   b) Hrothgar.
   c) Healfdane.
   d) Higlac.




3. "And over and over they swore that nowhere ... was there a warrior worthier to rule over men." These words refer to
   
   

   a) Hrothgar.
   b) Beowulf.
   c) Welthow.
   d) Higlac.




4. Why has so little Anglo-Saxon poetry survived?
   
   

   a) Poems were not written down.
   b) Most people were illiterate.
   c) Invaders destroyed literary works and manuscripts.
   d) All of the above.




5. What are two major traditions of Anglo-Saxon poetry?
   
   

   a) Anglo-Saxon poetry has a strong beat and alliteration.
   b) Anglo-Saxon poetry was memorized and sung.
   c) Anglo-Saxon poetry is heroic and elegiac.
   d) All of the above.




6. The beginning of the medieval period is
   
   

   a) 1000.
   b) 1066.
   c) 1340.
   d) 1485.




7. The system of landlording which William the Conquerer introduced into England was known as
   
   

   a) the fiefdom system.
   b) the lord and vassal system.
   c) the feudal system.
   d) the Church lands.




8. The form of literature that illustrates the medieval ideal of chivalry is
   
   

   a) the romance.
   b) the epic.
   c) the miracle play.
   d) the allegory.




9. "Chanson de geste" refers to
   
   

   a) a popular form of vernacular literature during medieval times.
   b) an epic about war among Norman gods.
   c) a miracle play set in Paris.
   d) a troubador from France.




10. "Kenning" refers to a
    
    

    a) popular form of vernacular literature during medieval times.
    b) metaphoric compound word used in Old English poetry.
    c) pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a poem.
    d) use of gods as allegorical figures.




11. "Caesura" refers to a
    
    

    a) traditional form of Roman literature.
    b) metaphoric compound word used in Old English poetry.
    c) pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a poem.
    d) use of gods as allegorical figures.

Answer key	1. d	6. b	11. c	16. _	21. _
	2. b	7. c	12. _	17. _	22. _
	3. a	8. a	13. _	18. _	23. _
	4. a	9. a	14. _	19. _
	5. c	10. b	15. _	20. _

Compiling such a data bank is an ongoing process. Comments and contributions are appreciated by those persons who use this resource.

Return to Top.

Back to English questions.

Back to Homepage.