British Literature
Semester 1
Exam Review
LITERARY TERMS
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at
the beginning of words
Antagonist
character who opposes the chief
character
Caesura
a pause in a line of verse, near the
middle
Characterization
methods an author uses to develop
a character in a story
Epic
a long narrative poem
Exemplum
a moralized tale
Frame Story
situation that brings characters
together to tell a story/develop a plot
Protagonist
the “good guy” or hero of a story
Scop
a singing poet
“Beowulf” author
unknown
Anglo-Saxon
Germanic tribes that settles England
Chaucer
Author of The Canterbury Tales
Chivalry
code of conduct for a knight
Feudalism
system where lords got land in
exchange for loyalty and military
service to the king
Lewis
author of The Screwtape Letters
Mead
beer
Shadowlands
alludes to the concept that the world
is a reflection
Thanes
Noble warriors dedicated to serving
their king
Wergild
- payment for wrongdoing; death
BEOWULF
 Where does Beowulf come to Heorot from?
 Sweden
 Judging from the poet’s discussion of
Hrothgar’s kingship, what are three kingly
qualities admired by the Anglo-Saxons?
 generous sharing of wealth, faithfulness to
oaths, love of fame and military success
BEOWULF
 What happened as a result of Grendel’s
attacks on Heorot?
 the Danish thanes no longer sleep in the
mead-hall
 What is an example of a kenning?
 Candle of heaven
BEOWULF
 What does “He unlocked his word-hoard” mean?
 He spoke
 Why does Beowulf choose to fight Grendel
unarmed?
 partly to show his strength and partly because
he considers Grendel unworthy of noble fighting
BEOWULF
 What does Beowulf kill Grendel’s mother
with?
 a sword made by giants
 In his speech to Beowulf after Beowulf has slain
Grendel’s mother, what does Hrothgar primarily
say?
 warns Beowulf to beware of pride
BEOWULF
 In Anglo-Saxon legal terms, does the
dragon have the right for reparation?
 Yes, he has the right to demand reparation
for the theft of part of his treasure
 Do Grendel and the dragon differ in their
motives?
 yes; the dragon has been provoked, but
Grendel has not
BEOWULF
 During Beowulf’s battle with the dragon, all
of his men do what?
 All except one flee to the forest to save their
lives
 Beowulf dies because of what?
 the dragon inflicts a mortal wound
BEOWULF
 At his death, what does Beowulf express?
 expresses satisfaction at the manner in
which he has led his life
CANTERBURY TALES
 Who was the Archbishop of Canterbury
whose shrine the pilgrims of The
Canterbury Tales were visiting?
 Thomas Beckett
 What was Anglo-Saxon alliteration replaced
by during the Medieval times?
 end rhyme
CANTERBURY TALES
 How many husbands did the Wife of Bath
have?
 Five
 The vice against which the Pardoner
preaches in all his sermons is?
 Avarice
CANTERBURY TALES
 The three rioters want to kill Death to get even for
Death having killed their friends. What other
explanation is there for going on such a foolish
mission?
 they are drunk
 The old man tells the rioters that Death can
be found under a nearby tree. They find a
pile of coins there. By the end of the story
what do we realize about the old man?
He did not mislead them
CANTERBURY TALES
 After completing his tale, what did the
Pardoner do?
 tries to sell relics and pardons to the other
pilgrims
 What is the Wife of Bath’s ideal husband?
 One who permits her to do whatever she
wants
CANTERBURY TALES
 The knight in the Wife’s Tale is sentenced to
death by the king for what?
 Rape
 In return for the correct answer to the
queen’s question, the knight promises the
old woman that he will do what?
do whatever she next requires of him
CANTERBURY TALES
 What is the correct answer to the queen’s
question?
 mastery of their husbands
 Who is the character with whom the Wife
most closely identifies?
 the old woman
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
“mere Christianity”
 - gospel free from denominational
idiosyncrasies
 worst sin, most helpful to devils
 Cowardice
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 the Enemy
 God
 state where everyone is perpetually
concerned with the self
 Hell
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 has changed the influence that logic and reason
has on man’s views
 Jargon
 peaks and valleys people go through
 Law of Undulation
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 Not the prime evil
 death
 a concept Satan cannot understand
 sacrificial love
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 writer of the letters
 Screwtape
 alludes to Lewis’ belief that our world is but
a reflection of God’s great kingdom
 Shadowlands
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 The Inklings
 Oxford literary circle
 takes over the letter writing temporarily
 Toadpipe
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
 recipient of the letters / perpetrator
 Wormwood
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 Why was Christian suffering inner turmoil?
 the burden of sin lay heavily upon him
 What were his family members’ response to
his warning that the city will be burned with
fire from Heaven?
 they were troubled by what he had told them
because they thought some form of insanity
had gotten into his head
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 Who gave Christian a letter stating, “Flee
from the coming wrath”?
 Evangelist
 Who helped Christian out of the swamp of
Despondence?
 Help
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 What did the person ask Christian after
helping him out of the swamp?
 Why didn’t you look for the steps?
 What is NOT one of the things Evangelist
tells Christian he should despise about Mr.
Worldly Wiseman?
 his words of deceit about the journey
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 Who lives in a castle a short distance from
the Gate and shoots arrows at those who
come up the Gate, hoping they will die
before they can enter in?
 Beelzebub
 What two boys does the Interpreter show to
Christian?
 Passion and Patience
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 Where did Christian’s burden fall off?
 The cross
 What did Christian’s name used to be?
 Graceless
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 At the house Beautiful, Christian what are three
things the shining individuals do for Christian?
 one of them declared that his sins were
forgiven, one of them stripped him of his
rags and gave him an embroidered coat,
one of them set upon his a mark on his
forehead and gave him a sealed Document
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 Why is Vanity Fair given that name?
 everything sold there or that comes there is
meaningless
 Who is put to death at Vanity Fair?
 Faithful
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
 What social issue is presented at Doubting
Castle?
 Quality of Life / Right to Die
 Who was not allowed to enter the Celestial
City because he did not have the certificate
and did not enter at the Gate?
 Ignorance