ENGLISH IV MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE 1
“Sir Gawain and The Green Knight”
Generally, when was the piece written?
Who wrote it?
What is the setting of the piece?
How many major sections, or Cantos, is the piece broken into?
What language was it written in?
During what time of year does the story take place?
For what rhetorical purpose was the piece written?
Who was a contemporary writer of the poet who wrote “Sir Gawain”?
Which three themes are most predominating throughout the piece?
From what time period does this piece borrow?
What does King Arthur insist upon before he will eat his supper?
What insult does the Green Knight give to King Arthur’s court?
What type of poetry does the piece consist of?
What are the terse rhyming lines that end the stanza called?
What is the deal that The Green Knight makes to anyone at the party?
What oversized weapon does The Green Knight carry?
How does the Green Knight react after Gawain swings the axe? What happens to him?
What color(s) is/are Gawain’s armor and outfit as he leaves Camelot to seek The Green Knight?
What is the picture on Gawain’s shield? Draw it.
What is it called? What does it symbolize?
During Gawain’s journey, what does he pray for and find?
How is Gawain greeted when he arrives?
Provide a physical description of the two ladies that accompany the lady of the house.
What is the name of the place to which Gawain must journey? How far away does the king say it is from the castle?
What “game” or pact does the king make with Gawain? What will they exchange?
Why must the king leave the court?
How is the lady dressed when she rouses Gawain on the third day?
What does she first attempt to give him?
Why does he refuse it?
What does she claim that the green girdle will do?
Where does Gawain hide the green girdle?
What is the king hunting on the final day?
Describe the mood of Gawain’s last night in the castle. Why does this mood exist?
What two items belonging to Gawain were well maintained by the castle’s staff?
Describe the weather on New Year’s Day.
When Gawain encounters the Green Knight, why does he flinch during the first strike?
How many attempted blows does Gawain endure before he refuses to endure another?
Who is the Green Knight really?
What person helped him become the Green Knight?
What is her relation to King Arthur?
Why does the Green Knight forgive Gawain?
What do the men agree is the root of men’s downfall?
Gawain agrees to keep the girdle as a reminder of what?
What do all the Knights of the Round Table now wear?
What two physical emblems of sin does Gawain have?
Complete the quote from Gawain to the Green Knight: “Thrash away then, ___________, your threats are hollow.”
What type of hero is Sir Gawain?
What does the Green color of the Knight’s garb symbolize?
Explain the significance of green and red both in the poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” as well as for
Christmas.
2 [Type text]
What did Chaucer’s father do for a living?
What jobs did Chaucer hold?
To which three prominent authors was Chaucer exposed?
To where does his famous poem about a pilgrimage journey?
True or False:
“The Wanderer” is an elegiac poem told by a man who has lost his lord.
The tone of elegiac poetry is mournful and sorrowful.
“Beowulf” is a heroic epic.
The definition of elegiac poetry is “recounting the achievements of warriors” (Pearson 8).
According to “Beowulf,” Grendel is a descendant of Abel.
Beowulf begins the epic as a good king and journeys to become an excellent warrior.
Alliteration is the repetition of vowel sounds.
Dragons often symbolize sin of greed.
During this time period, it was thought that monsters appear ugly and hideous because they are evil.
“Beowulf” also concerns the Anglo-Saxon conversion from Paganism to Christianity.
“The Seafarer” is a heroic poem about adventures and conquests.
A “seafarer” would be called a sailor in modern times.
“The Wife’s Lament” is an elegiac poem about a woman who has been left by her husband.
The speaker of the poem “The Wife’s Lament” hopes that her husband is miserable and missing her as much as,
if not more than, she misses him.
When the speaker of “The Wife’s Lament” states “often we vowed/ that but death alone would part us two/
naught else,” she is alluding to her and her husband’s wedding vows.
Anglo-Saxon Literature: Heroic/Epic Poetry and Elegiac Poetry
What language is used in Anglo-Saxon literature?
Within which book were “Beowulf” and other Anglo-Saxon stories found?
What is a scop/bard?
What is an epic?
What is the first great work of English Literature?
Grendel is a descendent of ________?
What are the three main battles in Beowulf?
Herot Hall and Beowulf are associated with good/light, and Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and their lair are associated
with/symbolized by
Upon returning to Geat-land, after defeating Grendel and his mother, Beowulf is made
Beowulf ________ one of Grendel’s arms.
After the raucous battle and Grendel’s harried exit, Beowulf hangs . . .
Why does Beowulf chop and carry Grendel’s head back to Herot/Hrothgar?
How does Beowulf die?
What last thought does Beowulf express as he is dying?
In Beowulf’s fight to the death with Grendel’s mother, the piece of his own equipment that saves his life is his—
As a result of Beowulf fighting the dragon . . .
Anglo-Saxon life was dominated by . . .
Anglo-Saxon poets/scops held an honored position in society primarily because they—
If you wanted to support the idea that Beowulf is an epic hero, you might best note that he—
ENGLISH IV MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE 3
Which of the following statements are true about the first three poems that we read: “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer,”
and “The Wife’s Lament”?
The names of poems and short stories are ____________; titles of novels and books are __________.
Once you mention an author’s full name in your introduction, then you may refer to them by:
According to MLA style, what is the proper order of your paper’s heading?
When speaking about a work of literature, one should always remain in the _______ tense.
A comparison that uses “like” or “as” is called a
When a poem references a commonly known story or event from the bible, it is called:
What is the proper order to cite your evidence when writing a poetry response?
Which of the following citation(s) are properly executed using MLA style?
Which poetic devices tend to impact each other most?
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Short Answer Options:
Why were religious pilgrimages so popular during the 14th and 15th centuries? Why did people particularly
journey to Canterbury?
“Beowulf” serves two great purposes; what are they? How is understanding “Beowulf” helpful for understanding
history?
Chaucer was very fortunate for his middle class upbringing; detail these happy circumstances. How did these
experiences aid Chaucer in his writing?
How do the three blows from the axe correlate with the game that the king and Sir Gawain are playing? What do
the symbols mean, and how does it correspond to the moral lessons of Christianity and Christmas. What tokens
must Sir Gawain remember this lesson by?
Explain the significance of the colors green, red, and gold in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” How does this
relate to characters in the poem; what do they symbolize? How is it relevant for Christianity and Christmas?
Who is Saint Thomas a Becket? Where is he memorialized? What happened to him? Why do people go there?
Draw the communication triangle and label the parts for our Employment Project. Why is it important to
research an employer and revise your documents according to their expectations? What happens if you don’t?
What are adaptations? Describe an adaptation that we have studied in this course. How did changes to the
original impact the overall message of the adaptation?