Old and Middle English Test Review
Unit 1: The Anglo-Saxon Period
Anglo-Saxon Lyric Poetry: “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer,” and “The Wife’s Lament” (p. 21)
1. What is The Exeter Book? (p. 19)
2. What is an elegy? How are The Seafarer, The Wife’s Lament, and The Wanderer all elegies?
3. Be able to identify the content of all three poems.
4. What are the themes of the Anglo-Saxon poems we read?
5. What do these lyric poems tell us about Anglo-Saxon culture and values?
The Epic: Beowulf (p. 40)
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Know the details of the poem, which would include all characters included in the excerpts.
1. What language was Beowulf originally written in?
2. What is Beowulf’s setting?
3. What is Wyrd ? How is it present in Beowulf?
4. Know the literary devices present in Anglo-Saxon literature and be able to identify them in the works we
read (kennings, caesura, alliteration, assonance, rhythm).
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Define the following terms and explain how they relate the works we’ve read.
a. Epic____________________________________________________________________________
b. Mead hall________________________________________________________________________
c. Scop____________________________________________________________________________
d. Caesuras________________________________________________________________________
e. Alliteration______________________________________________________________________
f. Assonance_______________________________________________________________________
g. Kennings________________________________________________________________________
h. Wyrd___________________________________________________________________________
i. Epithet __________________________________________________________________________
What are the characteristics of an epic poem? Using textual evidence, apply those to Beowulf.
What are the characteristics of an epic hero? Using textual evidence, apply those to Beowulf.
Know the Anglo-Saxon values, beliefs, and what it means to be a good leader.
Be able to discuss how Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon poems are reflections of Anglo-Saxon cultural values
and ideals.
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Unit 1: The Medieval Period
The Canterbury Tales (p.97)
 Know all of the characters from the Prologue.
 How do the pilgrims depict the culture and society of the time period?
1. What is Chaucer’s main objective in “The Prologue” of The Canterbury Tales?
2. What season does the Prologue indicate that people like to go on pilgrimages?
3. What is a pilgrimage?
4. Why are the pilgrims traveling to Canterbury?
5. Why do the pilgrims agree to tell tales on their journey?
6. What all does Chaucer use to reveal his characters to us?
7. What is the theme of the Prologue?
8. What is a couplet? What is iambic pentameter?
9. What is irony?
10. What is satire? What techniques are used by Chaucer?
11. What is romance? Who tells a tale that is romantic? Is it truly a romance?
12. What is allegory?
13. What is feudalism?
14. What is an exemplum? Describe the four characteristics of “The Pardoner’s Tale” that make it an exemplum.
15. When did the Middle Ages take place? (Dates)
16. What is a frame story? How is The Canterbury Tales a frame story?
17. What was the main idea of the Midas myth being told in the Wife of Bath’s tale?
18. What are the Wife of Bath’s views on friars, women, and marriage?
19. According to the old woman in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” what are the origins of gentility? What are the advantages
of old age and poverty?
20. What is ironic about the pledge that the rioters make to each other in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?
21. What are the examples of verbal, situational, and dramatic irony in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?
22. What was unique about Chaucer’s writing of The Canterbury Tales?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (p. 171)
23. Define romance.
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24. What are the seven elements of a romance? Apply those elements to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. List details
from the poem as evidence. Be able to list these from memory.
a._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
b._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
c._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
d._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
e._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
f._____________________________________________________________________________
Example:
g.______________________________________________________________________
Example:
25. What are two themes that are evident in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Cite evidence from the text.
a. _________________________________________________________________________________
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b. _________________________________________________________________________________
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26. What are the unique features or style that was used to write the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
List and define each.
The Ballads: “Barbara Allan,” “Get Up and Bar the Door, “ and Robin Hood and the Three Squires”
27. Define ballad.____________________________________________________________
28.List the five characteristics of a ballad: Be able to list from memory and explain the structure and
characteristics of the ballads we read in class.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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