Medieval Test Review
The History of the Middle Ages:
English
Black Death
William
Democratic
lower
serfs
caste
mystery
military
fathers
husbands
feudal
Hastings
middle
Turkish
French
feudalism
Jerusalem
Doomsday
property
Norman
Hundred Years’ War
civilizations
ballads
power
1. The battle in 1066 that resulted in a Norman king to the English throne was the Battle of ____________.
2. The language that changed Old English to Middle English was ____________________.
3. Is the following statement true, or false: The Normans brought administrative ability, an emphasis on law and
order, and cultural unity to England?
4. The social system of Medieval England was ____________________.
5. Feudalism was a m____________system, a c________system, and a p____________ system.
6. The workers of the land during the medieval times were the _________________.
7. The original purpose of the Crusades was to free ________________ from _________________ control.
8. The _____________________ Book was a survey of the assets of England.
9. The _______________________________ was the first series of plagues which killed 1/3 to ½ of the population.
10. The ____________________________ was a civil war in England.
11. After ____________________ the Conqueror triumphed at the Battle of Hastings, England changed due to its
adoption of the ____________________ social system.
12. In the Middle Ages, women of rank held social positions determined by the status of their ______________ or
____________________.
13. The growth of cities in the Middle Ages led to 1) the development of lower, middle, and upper ___________
class; 2)the rise of “peoples’ art” such as the __________ and the ____________ plays; and 3) the eventual
collapse of the European _______________ system.
14. The Crusades influenced everyday life in England by exposing the English to other ______________________.
15. The signing of the Magna Carta by King John at Runnymede signaled the renewal of older, ______________
ideals.
16. As a result of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, an ________________ national
consciousness gradually developed.
17. The Black Death ultimately resulted in freedom for the serfs and greater power for the _______________
classes.
18. The 1170 martyrdom of Thomas a Becket led to greater ___________ for the Church of Rome.
The Canterbury Tales “Prologue”:
human
himself
reveal
two
Chaucer’s main reason for writing about the pilgrimage in the Prologue was to create a setting in which to __________
his characters.
Chaucer thinks the Monk cares only about ___________.
The theme in the Prologue is the great variety of__________ nature.
According to the Prologue, each character is to tell two tales going to the cathedral and __________ tales on the return.
The pilgrims accept the Hose as their leader in the Prologue.
The Canterbury Tales “Prologue” (continued):
24
armor
characters
widow
Squire
Wife of Bath
virtues
120
Miller
spring
moral
straws
iron
observant
quests
Prioress
Skipper
Monk
deafness
buffooneries
Chaucer uses the pilgrimage primarily as a device to frame the stories told by individual __________.
The narrator is portrayed as naïve and __________.
Chaucer describes the Pardoner’s hair as “rat-tails’ primarily to imply __________ corruption.
By positioning his description of the Miller after the Plowman, Chaucer accentuates the ___________of the Plowman as
well as the ________________ and criminality of the Miller.
Chaucer planned to write _____ tales.
Chaucer completed _____ tales.
Medieval romance literature is a story of knights, ladies, __________, and love.
The pilgrimage takes place in the __________.
The Wife of Bath is a __________.
The first story teller is selected by drawing __________.
The __________wears cloth embroidered with flowers.
The most richly attired pilgrims are the __________________, the Squire, Monk, Physician, and the Franklin.
The ___________, the Monk, the Friar, the Summoner, and the Pardoner are all connected to the church.
The physical impairment of the Wife of Bath is _____________.
The horseman with supple boots was the __________.
The __________ was a large man who could break down a door with his thick head.
The Knight wore a simple tunic with dark stains from his __________.
The ____________ stole wine from sleeping merchants, and he behaved much like an Anglo-Saxon Viking.
The Parson would speak a proverb to explain how the expected behavior of clergy should be by saying, “That is gold rust,
then what will __________ do?”
Know your definitions for Frame Story, Characterization, Direct Characterization, Indirect Characterization, and Irony.
The Ballads
Martinmas
exile
wife
line
property
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
common
emphasize
new
conventional
steed
husband
dogs
children
supernatural
threatening
tragic
love
hawk
first
comic
wife
mother
sordid
contest
omission
sickness
accepting
happily
father
contest
The ballads of early Scotland and England have as their source the ___________ people.
The refrain is important to ballads to ________________________ its theme.
A refrain is usually repeated in the last ___________ or two of the stanza
Incremental repetition is a phrase or sentence repeated with a _____________element added.
The events in “Barbara Allan” echo the medieval ideas presented in “Lord Randall” by equating love __________
with death.
In “Twa Corbies,” the autor demonstrates the medieval society’s attitude toward life and death as _________.
A cottage door was left unlocked in “Get Up and Bar the Door” because a ______________ and __________
were both stubborn.
The two gentlemen in “Get Up and Bar the Door” were ________________ to the couple.
The concluding refrain in “Get Up and Bar the Door” provides a ______________ twist to the story.
When the two rude visitors moved to cut off the husband’s beard and kiss his wife, the husband spoke
_________ and lost the ______________.
__________________ time was a festival in honor of Saint Martin held on November 11th.
Two places Lord Randall visits after he left home are the wild ___________ and the home of his true ______.
Lord Randall believes he will die from poison because his ___________ have died.
The phrase “fain wald lie down” is repeated throughout “Lord Randall” ballad; another word for “fain” could be
___________________________.
Edward in “Edward, Edward” says he killed his _____________, _____________, and ______________.
Edward foresees ____________________ for killing his father; a beggars’ life for his __________ and
_________; and his ___________________falling to ruin.
Based on the clues in “Edward, Edward,” the most likely explanation of why Edward killed his father is that
Edward was encouraged by his __________________.
Know the 4 major elements often found in a ballad!
a. _____________________ or __________________ subject matter
b. _____________________ phrases
c. _____________________ of details
d. ____________________ events
from Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
honor
admit
France
girdle
ideal
England
perilous
alive
southern
move
knight
damsel
chivalry
sash
culture
chivalric
test
reward
supernatural
journey (quest)
God
1. Stories of romance celebrate a code of _________________.
2. Romance literature developed in _________________ by the _______________ border of _____________.
3. A hero’s adventure usually assumes the form of a long, _________________ journey in search of something of
value.
4. A ________________________ was not a characteristic of medieval romance.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Assistance from ____________ is not a typical element in medieval romance.
Romantic heroes embodied the values, strengths, and traditions of their _______________.
When the Green Knight does not die from Sir Gawain’s blow, it demonstrates a(n) ______________ event.
One plot element missing from the excerpt of this heroic tale is a ______________ in distress.
Sir Gawain volunteers to fight the Green Knight because he wants to protect the ___________ of his king and
fellow knights.
An event that represents a deviation from the ideals of chivalry is when Sir Gawain keeps the magic _________.
Sir Gawain’s main internal conflict involves his guilt over violating the ______________ code.
The best paraphrase of what the Green Knight says to Sir Gawain at the end of the story is admit your
________________ and _____________ on.
This story can be considered a romance because it tells of a brave ____________________ who goes on a
dangerous _________________ for a lofty _______________.
The lady in the castle tries to seduce Sir Gawain because she is ordered by her husband to __________________
Sir Gawain.
Sir Gawain takes the green sash because he hopes that it will help him to remain _______________.
After the final battle, the Green Knight finds Sir Gawain to be lacking as a knight because he kept the green
_________ hidden from the Green Knight.
Know this and know how to apply it: a summary typically answers who, what, when, where, and how questions.
from Morte d’Arthur
greed
respect
live
Avalon
common
sword
heroes
killed
Lancelot
die
hand
death
1. The central theme of this reading involves the consequences of ________________.
2. In a dream, Sir Gawain tells King Arthur that King Arthur will be ____________ if he fights Mordred the
next day.
3. Sir Gawain suggests that King Arthur sign a month-long treaty with Sir Mordred because Sir Gawain
knows that _____________ is coming to his aid.
4. The battle between King Arthur and Sir Mordred is similar to other legends of the Middle Ages because
its ________________ fight nobly.
5. Sir Bedivere’s personal characteristic of ______________ sense motivates him to disobey King Arthur’s
order.
6. The black hoods worn by the ladies who come to take King Arthur away on the barge are used to
symbolize ______________.
7. The extraordinary event that occurs in this medieval romance is the catching of the _____________ by
a ______________ in the lake.
8. King Arthur was probably from the Isle of _________________.
9. When King Arthur is dying, women come to pick him up I a barge and treats him with ______________.
10. Some people think that King Arthur did not ________________ but will ______________ again.
Elements of the Romantic Hero and Romance Literature
Make this chart and apply the listed elements to the medieval literatures. Write all answers that could apply to
each category.
from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
from Morte D’Arthur
A near-perfect hero
A near-perfect hero
An evil enemy
An evil enemy
A quest
A quest
A test of the hero
A test of the hero
Supernatural elements
Supernatural elements
Good vs. evil
Good vs. evil
Female figures who are usually maidens (in need of
rescue), mothers or crones
Female figures who are usually maidens (in need of
rescue), mothers or crones