AP Lit & Comp
Anglo Saxon Background Notes
Sanders
Name __________________
Date __________________
Hour __________________
Directions: Answer each question with complete sentences.
“Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle Ages” pg. 10-11
1. In 43 A.D. the Romans conquered Britain and introduced what?
2. What three tribes began invading Britain after the Romans left?
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3. What did the Germanic invaders begin calling Britain?
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4. When did Christianity and civilization emerge in Britain?
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5. In 878, who led warriors to victory over the Danes?
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6. What was the name of the battle?
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7. What ended the Anglo-Saxon era?
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8. What did William the Conqueror introduce to England?
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9. What is feudalism?
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10. What was the first document to curtail royal power and begin a constitutional government?
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11. What war began in 1337 between England and France?
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12. What swept through England in 1348?
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13. How much of England’s population was killed by the Black Death?
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14. What eroded the feudal system?
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“Epic Warrior” pg.12
15. What qualities are embodied by the Anglo-Saxon warrior?
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16. How did the war lords reward their followers?
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17. What was the most common epithet for a lord or ruler?
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18. What did the Anglo-Saxons bring to Britain?
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AP Lit & Comp
Anglo Saxon Background Notes
Sanders
19a. The songs sung by the scops provided what to an illiterate society?
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19b.What did the songs provide for a warrior?
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20. What were the two most important influences on Anglo-Saxon literature?
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21. In Beowulf, how does the poet combine both Germanic and Christian elements?
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“Epic and the Epic Hero” pg. 20-21
22. What is an epic?
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23. How were the epic poems viewed by the poet and their audiences?
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24. What is the earliest epic? Where did it originate? Describe the epic.
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25. What are the two great Greek epics?
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26. What is the Spanish epic?
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27. What is the French epic?
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28. What are the standard features of the epic form in Western literature?
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29. What is an epithet? Provide an example.
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30. What is a kenning? Provide an example.
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31. What is an epic hero?
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32. What do epic plots involve?
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33. What does the epic hero embody?
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34. What values are celebrated in Beowulf?
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