BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
Record your answers on the answer sheet.
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
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Answer key is in the teacher’s guide.
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Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
TEACHER GUIDELINES/DIRECTIONS
PROCEDURE
1. Make copies of the exam and the answer sheet. (You can reuse the exam for each class to save paper and make it easier to
grade.) OR use the editable version to customize, then make copies for each student.
2. Distribute to students.
3. Collect exams and answer sheets when students are finished.
4. Grade exams. I have included two answer sheets in the Teacher’s key file: one lists all the answers and one lists the answers
with the Common Core State Standards alignment for grades 11-12. This makes it easier to see which standards students
are mastering and which ones they may need more practice.
OPTIONAL ESSAY QUESTIONS
The exam consists of matching and multiple choice, but you may add the optional essays to make the exam more challenging
and to get additional feedback and data. I also included sample responses, but keep in mind these are only suggestions as
answers may vary.
COMMON CORE ALIGNMENT
The following Common Core State Standards are assessed in this exam (see answer key for individual question alignment):
Reading Literature
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1 - Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 - Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of
the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 - Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story
or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5 - Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the
choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and
meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.6 -Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a
text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10 - By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in
the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read
and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based
on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.4.A - Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or
function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.4.D - Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the
inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5 - Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.A - Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.B - Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
CHARACTER MATCHING
1. Beowulf
A. Beowulf's uncle; King of the Geats at the beginning of the poem
2. Hrothgar
B. Beowulf's father
3. Higlac
C. Hero of the poem; the strongest of the Geats
4. Wiglaf
D. Wiglaf's father
5. Grendel
E. Demon monster who seeks vengeance for son's death
6. Grendel's mother
F. Beowulf's sword, given to him by Unferth
7. Unferth
G. Group of vikings from Denmark
8. Wexstan
H. King of the Danes
9. Edgetho
I. He doubted Beowulf's bravery
10. The Geats
J. Beowulf's successor as king
11. The Danes
K. Warriors from Geatland
12. Hrunting
L. Demon descendent of Cain; terrorizes the Danes
MULTIPLE CHOICE: QUALITIES OF AN EPIC
13. An epic is a(n)...
A. novel told in first person point-of-view
B. long narrative poem
C. a song from ancient times
D. a short novel (or novella)
14. Features of an epic include ALL of the following EXCEPT...
A. boastful speeches
B. theme/conflict of good vs. evil
C. action
D. love interest
15. The hero in an epic is often portrayed as...
A. larger than life.
B. the underdog.
C. a peasant who rises up to defeat the leaders of the time.
D. an outcast.
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
16. An epic will include many speeches filled with excessive pride about one's achievements. These are
called...
A. hubris
B. kennings
C. boasts
D. nothing
17. The difference between a literary epic and a folk epic is...
A. literary epics were not invented until modern times.
B. folk epics do not have an author.
C. literary epics do not have a hero.
D. folk epics often include musical passages.
18. A common theme in epic poems is the battle between ___ vs. ___.
A. the hero vs. himself
B. God vs. the devil
C. good vs. evil
D. the protagonist vs. the antagonist
19. The three external conflicts in Beowulf include...
A. Beowulf vs. Grendel; Beowulf vs. Grendel's mother; Beowulf vs. himself
B. Beowulf vs. Grendel; Beowulf vs. Grendel's father; Beowulf vs. the dragon
C. Beowulf vs. Grendel; Beowulf vs. the dragon; Beowulf vs. himself
D. Beowulf vs. Grendel's mother; Beowulf vs. the dragon; Beowulf vs. Grendel
20. The setting for Beowulf is...
A. Geatland and Germany, around 100 BCE
B. Geatland and Denmark, around 750 CE
C. Denmark and Germany, around 1700 CE
D. Germany and Geatland, around 1800 CE
PAGAN or CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE?
21. Identify the passage as being influenced by either Christian or pagan beliefs:
“God must decide / Who will be given to death's cold grip”
A. Christian
B. Pagan
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
22. Identify the passage as being influenced by either Christian or pagan beliefs:
“But Beowulf / Longed only for fame, leaped back / Into battle.”
A. Christian
B. Pagan
23. Identify the passage as being influenced by either Christian or pagan beliefs:
“But fate, that night, intended / Grendel to gnaw the broken bones
Of his last human supper.”
A. Christian
B. Pagan
24. Identify the passage as being influenced by either Christian or pagan beliefs:
“Ruler of the Earth-- / For all of this, that His grace has given me,
Allowed me to bring to my people while breath / Still came to my lips.”
A. Christian
B. Pagan
READING COMPREHENSION
25. Read the following passage, then answer the question below.
“The monsters' hall was full of
Rich treasures, but all that Beowulf took
Was Grendel's head and the hilt of the giants'
Jeweled sword; the rest of that ring-marked
Blade had dissolved in Grendel's steaming
Blood, boiling even after his death.
And then the battle's only survivor
Swam up and away from those silent corpses;
The water was calm and clean, the whole
Huge lake peaceful once the demons who'd lived in it
Were dead.”
Which answer BEST paraphrases this passage?
A. Grendel's mother grabbed Beowulf and took him down to her lair. She liquefied his sword before grabbing
the giants' sword, ending his life.
B. Beowulf grabbed Grendel's mother's head and the sword he used to kill her before rising up to the surface of
the lake.
C. Grendel grabbed the sword and treasures and swam to the top, leaving the corpses of his mother and
Beowulf behind.
D. Beowulf rose up to the surface of the lake, which was now calm, taking only Grendel's head and the hilt of
the giants' sword since the rest of it had melted away in Grendel's blood.
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
26. Read the following passage, then answer the question below.
"...And who are we to carry home
Our shields before we’ve slain his enemy
And ours, to run back to our homes with Beowulf
So hard-pressed here? I swear that nothing
He ever did deserved an end
Like this, dying miserably and alone,
Butchered by this savage beast: we swore
That these swords and armor were each for us all!”
Who is Wiglaf addressing in this passage when he says "And who are we"?
A. the dragons
B. Beowulf's soldiers
C. Wiglaf and his father
D. the Danes
27. Which statement best paraphrases Wiglaf’s message?
A. Go home to your families, bringing your weapons with you. Our king is dead and has left us all the riches
from the dragon.
B. Our king has been defeated by this beast; we must quickly go home and prepare for a war with the other
beasts, as we have promised we would do.
C. How dare you all flee from the beast when our king needs us the most? He would never have abandoned us.
We made a promise to protect one another.
D. Let us fight Beowulf as we have promised we would do. Only then may we return to our homes with any
dignity.
EPIC GRANDNESS or REALISM?
28. In the passage below, are the details realistic or an example of epic grandness?
“Grendel’s one thought was to run / From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:
This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied.”
A. realistic (realism)
B. epic grandness
29. In the passage below, are the details realistic or an example of epic grandness?
“...that sin-stained demon / Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells
That blunted every mortal man’s blade.”
A. realistic (realism)
B. epic grandness
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
30. In the passage below, are the details realistic or an example of epic grandness?
“Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy / Sword, hammered by giants, strong / And blessed with their
magic, the best of all weapons / But so massive that no ordinary man could lift / Its carved and decorated
length.”
A. realistic (realism)
B. epic grandness
FIGURATIVE and LITERARY DEVICES
31. A two-word metaphor is called a...
A. simile
B. metaphor
C. personification
D. kenning
E. assonance
32. Which figurative device is used in this phrase: "...the heavens weep”?
A. metaphor
B. simile
C. personification
D. onomatopoeia
33. Which figurative device is used in the underlined passage?
“Whose soldiers are you, / You who've been carried in your deep-keeled ship
Across the sea-road to this country of mine?”
A. kenning
B. simile
C. personification
D. alliteration
34. Which sound device is used in the underlined portion in the following passage?
“I feel no shame, with shield and sword…”
A. onomatopoeia
B. simile
C. alliteration
D. assonance
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
35. Which sound device is used in the underlined portion of the following passage?
“The dragon leaped / With pain, thrashed and beat him, spouting / Murderous flames…”
A. alliteration
B. onomatopoeia
C. assonance
D. personification
36. Which figurative device is being used in the underlined portion of the following passage?
“The ship foamed through the sea like a bird…”
A. irony
B. simile
C. metaphor
D. kenning
37. Which is an example of IRONY from the poem?
A. The Geats build the tower as a memorial for Beowulf.
B. The Danes ask Beowulf for help.
C. Beowulf kills Grendel's mother.
38. Which example is NOT an example of a kenning?
A. mail-shirt
B. shield warrior
C. sea-road
D. far flung
39. Which example from the poem does NOT contain alliteration?
A. Melted, blood-soaked, dripping down
B. The monsters' hall was full of / Rich treasures
C. the rest of that ring-marked
D. Swam up and away from those silent corpses
EVENTS & VALUES
40. Beowulf comes to see Hrothgar because...
A. they are related and hadn't seen each other for a while.
B. to help Hrothgar with his monster problem
C. Hrothgar begged Beowulf to come.
D. Beowulf wants to see Hrothgar's wife.
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
41. Why does Beowulf choose to fight Grendel with just his hands?
A. Because he knows he can defeat him without using any weapons.
B. Because Grendel does not use weapons, nor does he fear them.
C. Because Beowulf doesn't have any weapons.
D. Grendel requested that they wrestle instead of sword fight.
42. Which of the following is NOT a request Beowulf makes before battling Grendel's mother?
A. He asks Hrothgar to take care of his men.
B. He wants Unferth to have his sword.
C. He wants his gold sent back to Higlac.
D. He wants to be cremated and his ashes buried in a tower.
43. Who went home instead of waiting to see if Beowulf killed Grendel's mother?
A. The Danes
B. The Geats
C. The other monsters
D. Grendel
44. Beowulf is vulnerable during his final battle because ALL of the following EXCEPT...
A. he's old.
B. he's lost his memory.
C. his shield melts.
D. his sword breaks.
45. Which soldier stayed with Beowulf in his last battle?
A. Higlac
B. Wexstan
C. Wiglaf
D. Unferth
46. In Beowulf's final battle, all the men deserting him except one is meant to show that the Anglo-Saxons
valued which quality?
A. honesty
B. loyalty
C. determination
D. perseverance
Continued a
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
47. Why does Beowulf want a tower built for his memorial?
A. He wants people to remember his name and his deeds.
B. He wants to punish the men for deserting him.
C. Everyone had towers built for them after they die.
D. He did not request this; Hrothgar requested it.
48. Which short passage BEST reflects the value of bravery?
A. “Then that brave king gave the golden / Necklace from around his throat to Wiglaf”
B. “By almighty God, I'd rather burn myself than see / Flames swirling around my lord.”
C. “Nothing / Moved, no other monsters appeared; / He took what he wanted, all the treasures / That pleased
his eye, heavy plates / And golden cups and the glorious banner, Loaded his arms with all they could hold.”
D. “Then Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong, / And with his shield at his side, and a mail shirt on his breast,
Strode calmly, confidently, toward the tower, under / The rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked
there!”
49. What is hubris?
A. The type of dragon Beowulf fought.
B. Humility; humbleness
C. Arrogance; excessive pride
D. A willingness to please others.
50. Which passage is an example of displaying hubris?
A. “And for the first time in his life that famous prince / Fought with fate against him, with glory / Denied
him.”
B. “No one else could do / What I mean to, here, no man but me / Could hope to defeat this monster. No one
/ Could try. And this dragon’s treasure, his gold / And everything hidden in that tower, will be mine Or
war will sweep me to a bitter death!”
C. “But fate, that night, intended / Grendel to gnaw the broken bones / Of his last human supper.”
D. “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, / Knew at once that nowhere on earth / Had he met a man
whose hands were harder; / His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing / Could take his talons and
himself from that tight / Hard grip.”
End Of Test
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
NAME: _______________________________________________
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Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
ESSAY QUESTIONS
NAME: _______________________________________________
1. What does Beowulf reveal about the values of the Anglo-Saxons? What did their society
value? Give examples from the poem that reveal these values.
2. Give an example of one of the themes in Beowulf and how it is expressed in the poem.
Also explain whether or not that theme is still relevant in today’s world and why/why
not.
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
NAME:
ESSAY QUESTIONS, continued…
3. What makes Beowulf a legendary hero? Give examples from the epic to support your
response.
4. Explain the significance and symbolism of the weapons used (or not used) in Beowulf.
Give examples from the poem to support your analysis.
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman
BEOWULF FINAL EXAM
NAME:
Copyright © 2015, Tracee Orman