ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD
BEOWULF
I.
Matching.
___ 2l. King of Geats
___ 22. the monster
___ 23. the epic hero
___ 24. King of Denmark
___ 25. the mead hall
II.
a. Grendel
b. Higlac
c. Beowulf
d. Herot
e. Hrothgar
Multiple Choice
___ 26. killing one’s brother a. kenning b. fratricide c. wergild d. fratricide e. caesura
___ 27. a poet or storyteller a. scop b. alliteration c. wyrd d. ballad e. none of the above
___ 28. repetition of beginning consonant sounds a. kenning b. consonance c. epic d. foil
e. none of the above
___ 29. pause in a line of poetry a. alliteration b. kenning c. comitatus d. caesura e. foil
____30. metaphorical descriptive word compound a. kenning b. simile c. caesura d. couplet
e. wergild
____31. practice of payment for life of loved one a. wergild b. fratricide c. comitatus d. wyrd
____32. fate or one’s lot in life a. wergild b. scop c. irony d. foil e. wyrd
____33. long narrative poem about the deeds of a great hero a. exemplum b. epic c. romance
d. ballad
____34. armor made of tiny mesh rings a. mail shirt b. mead c. foil d. girdle e. none of the
above
___35. His invasion brought an end to the period a. Dark Ages b. Alfred c. William
d. Harold
___36. Religion of Celts (belief in matter possessing a spirit) a. pagan b. animism c. Christian
___37. They invaded Britain in 1st century; left around 410. a. Romans b. Jutes c. Iberians
d. Vikings
___38. Most common written language of Anglo-Saxons a. French b. Old English c. Latin
___39. Unified Britain; promoted education and Anglo-Saxon a. Chaucer b. William c. Alfred
d. Venerable Bede
___40. Brought Christianity to England a. Venerable Bede b. Alfred the Great c. Patrick
d. St. Augustine
___41. Known as father of English history a. Alfred the Great b. St. Augustine c. King Harold
d. Venerable Bede
___42. Came from Germany and Denmark around 449. a. Vikings b. Angles and Saxons
c. Iberians d. Romans
___43. priestly intermediaries of Celts a. Druids b. Celts c. pagans d. monks
___44. brotherhood; bonds between humans a. wergild b. comitatus c. reparation d. wyrd
___45. An early Anglo-Saxon verse form a. ballad b. scop c. riddle d. Exeter
III.
True or False.
__69. Geatland is now Holland.
__70. The mead hall was the center of Anglo-Saxon social life.
__71. Beowulf is jealous of Hrothgar’s wealth.
__72. Anglo-Saxons liked for their heroes to be boastful.
__73. Beowulf is set in Britain.
__74. Grendel is descended from Cain.
__75. Beowulf was first written down around 750.
__76. Heroic couplets are rarely in iambic pentameter.
__77. Herding replaced farming as the chief industry in Medieval times.
__78. William of Normandy is responsible for the Magna Carta and the Domesday Book.
__79. “The Pardoner’s Tale” is an exemplum.
__80. The Pearl Poet wrote Morte de Arthur.
__81. The feudal system was destroyed by the herding industry.
__82. Chaucer’s use of physiognomy was rare in Medieval times.
__83. The Hundred Year’s War had the biggest impact on chivalry.
__84. William introduced the French language to England.
__85. For a short period of time, people stopped speaking English in Medieval England.
__86. Thomas a Becket was made a martyr after he risked his life for the king.
__87. Harry Bailey and Chaucer both narrate the Prologue.
__88. “Get up and Bar the Door” takes place around Christmastime.
__89. Gawain and Arthur are both Romance heroes.
__90. Medieval life was often short and difficult although pleasure was found in tournaments
and festivals.
__91. Chaucer uses satire to compliment some of the travelers’ virtues.
__92. Early drama was performed in the streets and then in churches.
__93. Morality plays were the late form of drama in Medieval England.
__94. The Pardoner carries genuine holy relics
__95. The church was the primary educator and printer during these times.
__96. Chaucer completed all but 5 of the tales before he died.
__97. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was most likely composed while the writer was in
prison.
__98. A monk may have added the Christian elements of Beowulf.
__99. Ballads were intended to be sung.
__100. The printing press mainly benefited the wealthy.
Short Essay.
l. What are five traits of the romance? Name a romance that contains these and explain.
2. Tell how three of the Deadly Sins are present in Medieval literature (not Anglo-Saxon).
3. What is the message of Beowulf and why is it still relevant today?
IV.
Multiple Choice.
___ 36. Early inhabitants of Britain were called
a. Romans
b. Jutes
c. Celts
d. Geats
___ 37. The time span of the Anglo-Saxon Period is
a. 450-1066 b. 449-1066 c. 410-1066 d. 410-1100
___38. Britain is linked to the United States in all of the following EXCEPT
a. language b. literature c. common ideas/ideals
d. employment
___39. The following are supernatural elements in the poem EXCEPT
a. lake of blood
b. the monster’s strength
c. Beowulf’s strength
d. the journey to Denmark
___40. Herot stands empty for
a. 12 years
b. 14 years
c. 50 years
d. 15 years
___41. One of the principal functions of the scop was
a. to preserve the legends
b. to lead religious prayers c. to translate Latin
psalms
d. to amuse the crowd
___42. Grendel never touches Hrothgar’s throne because
a. he is afraid of Hrothgar’s strength
b. the throne is protected by God
c. the throne has too many guards
d. he prefers to hurt Hrothgar’s men
___43. How many Geats does Grendel kill?
a. 30 b. 14 c. 12 d. 1
___44. Old English has contributed to English
a. scientific terms
b. common nouns and verbs c. abstract words
___45. Grendel most clearly represents the forces of
a. revenge
b. ambition c. evil d. jealousy
___46. The early Anglo-Saxons believed one could transcend fate by
a. dying in battle
b. becoming a monk c. honoring God
e. achieving fame
___47. The story of Beowulf promotes the idea that
a. the survival of civilization depends upon people being interdependent
b. good does not always transcend evil
c. society should not exclude individuals
d. fate is even more powerful than God
___48. The modern English word weird probably comes from the Old English word for
a. minstrel
b. Viking
c. the sea
d. fate
___49. The Celts of Britain were also called
a. Britons
b. Vikings
c. Normans Jutes
___50. The author of Beowulf is
a. unknown b. Venerable Bede
c. Alfred the Great
d. a monk
___51. The wasteland symbolizes
a. risk and danger
b. the home of evil c. fame
d. heat
___52. Fire is a symbol of good and evil just as ___ is/are.
a. treasure
b. light and dark
c. the sea
d. Herot
___53. The sea symbolizes
a. good
b. fame
c. monsters d. risk, danger, and the unknown
___54. Beowulf tells the king about
a. his father’s last wishes
b. his family ancestry c. his previous
accomplishments d. his superior weaponry
___55. Beowulf keeps one part of Grendel. Which part?
a. his leg
b. his tail
c. his arm
d. his hand
___56. Grendel disappears into
a. the sea
b. a lake of boiling blood
c. a large cave
e. a hole in the marsh
___57. Anglo-Saxon poetry contained all of the following except
a. rhyme
b. kennings c. alliteration d. caesuras
___58. Beowulf experiences all of the following when he goes to Grendel’s mother’s lair
except
a. sea serpents
b. swimming for hours
c. his sword breaking
d. a wound to the throat
___59. Who gives Beowulf Hrunting?
a. Hrothgar b. Unferth
c. Welthow d. Wiglaf
___60. Beowulf dies from
a. old age
b. a wound to the neck c. the fire from the dragon d. falling
on his sword
___61. Which sound provides alliteration?
“Great prince stood firm, unmoving, prepared...”
a. g
b. p
c. f
d. m
___62. Which line is an example of a kenning?
a. “And the Geats’ ring giver still did not boast of glorious victories.”
b. “Then Beowulf rose, still brave and strong...”
c. “...Beowulf, A prince of the Geats had killed Grendel.”
d. “...This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied.”
____63. Between which words does a caesura occur?
“To protect their prince if they could. Their courage
a. protect/Their
b. could./Their
c. prince/if
d. Their/courage
____64. All of the following are pagan elements except
a. sacrifices to the old stone gods
b. throne was protected by God
c. Beowulf’s body put on a funeral pyre
____65. All of the following is true about the primary epic except
a. it is passed down orally
b. it tells the story of a people on the move
c. it originated in legend
d. it is the work of a skilled writer/craftsman
Essay. Choose two. 15 points each. Write at least the side of one page per answer. Use
plenty of examples. Begin each answer with a topic sentence that contains the core
question. “Beowulf is a true epic hero who represents the ideal qualities of an AngloSaxon.
l. How is the poem a moral struggle?
2. Describe the three battles in the poem. How do they differ?
3. How is Beowulf a hero? What does he do that makes him heroic?
4. Discuss the Anglo-Saxons, their culture and values, their traits, and their settlement of
the country.
5. What can we see in our present world that might have come from the Anglo-Saxons?
6. Discuss the traits of the epic that are present in Beowulf.
Short Answer.
Short Answer.
60. 61. 62. 63.
Name and explain two themes and two characteristics of the epic.
Bonus**Tell what happened after the section we read in class.