British Literature 1st Semester
Exam Study Packet
VOCABULARY
1. abashed – (adj.) embarrassed
2. accord – (vi) to be in agreement
3. adage – (n) a saying
4. adamant - (adj) firm, unbending
5. affluent – (adj) wealthy
6. agnostic – one who expresses ignorance of God
7. allusion – (n) a reference
8. amalgamate - (verb) to combine
9. ameliorate - to improve
10. antithesis - opposite
11. apparition – (n) a ghost
12. arduous - difficult
13. articulate - (adj) clear, distinct in speaking and writing
14. ascertain
- to find out for sure
15. astute – wise, shrewd
16. avaricious – (adj) greedy
17. berserk - (adj) madly excited, crazed
18. broach – (verb) to bring up
19. brooch – (n) a fancy pin
20. brusque – blunt, abrupt
21. buffoon – (n) a clown
22. cadaver – (n) a corpse
23. cajole - to coax
24. callous – unfeeling, hardened
25. callus – a thickened part of skin
26. capitulate - (verb) to surrender
27. caricature – (n) exaggerated drawing of someone’s peculiarities or defects
28. carrion – the decaying flesh of a carcass
29. castigate – (verb) to punish
30. chastise – to punish
31. cite - (verb) to quote, to mention
32. clairvoyant – (n) one who can see the future or objects beyond normal vision
33. clandestine – (adj) secret
34. cogent – convincing, having the power to compel or constrain
35. condone – (verb) to forgive, overlook
36. connoisseur – a lover of fine arts, knows enough to act as a judge (expert)
37. copious - plentiful
38. coquette – a flirt
39. covert – secret, hidden
40. coy – bashful, shy, pretending shyness to attract
41. crone – a hag, withered old woman
42. crux – the crucial point
43. dastardly – (adj) cowardly
44. debilitate – to weaken
45. destitute –(adj) very poor
46. dispersed - (verb) spent
47. dogmatic – positive, self- opinionated
48. emaciated – (adj) very thin
49. enigma – (n) a puzzle
50. erudite – learned,, scholarly
51. façade- a false front
52. facilitate – (verb) to make easier
53. frugal
- thrifty
54. gala – characterized by festivity
55. gape - (verb) to stare
56. garish – gaudy, flashy
57. gauche – awkward, ,clumsy, lacking “social” grace
58. gregarious
- fond of company
59. harass – to annoy, to bother
60. illimitable – boundless, measureless
61. incognito – (adj) identity hidden or concealed
62. incorrigible – unmanageable, incapable of being corrected or changed
63. indigent – very poor
64. indolent - (adj) lazy
65. indubitable – certain, indisputable
66. inebriated – (adj) drunk
67. insolent - (adj) rude
68. jetsam – goods cast overboard (deliberately) to lighten a ship in distress
69. lackey – a slavish follower
70. lethal – (adj) deadly
71. lethargic - (adj) dull, drowsy, having an obvious lack of energy, indifferent
72. limpid – (adj) clear
73. lucrative – profitable, money-making
74. maladroit – (adj) unskillful, clumsy
75. malingerer – (noun) one who fakes illness
76. masticate – (verb) to chew
77. melancholy – dejected, depressed, sad
78. nebulous – cloudy, unclear (meaning)
79. nefarious – very wicked, evil
80. noisome - (adj) offensive smelling; unwholesome
81. panacea – (noun) a cure-all
82. pensive – thoughtful, reflective, sad
83. placid – calm, peaceful
84. poignant – painfully touching, piercing
85. posthumous – occurring after death
86. prevaricate – (verb) to lie
87. procrastinate – (verb) to delay
88. pungent – (adj) sharp in smell or taste
89. rectify – (verb) to correct
90. risqué – “almost” improper
91. sagacious – (adj) wise
92. sepulcher - (noun) tomb
93. sibling – (n) one of two children in a family
94. superfluous – more than needed, excessive
95. sycophant – a parasitic flatterer
96. taut – (adj) tight
97. teetotaler – a person who totally abstains from intoxicating beverages
98. terse - (adj) brief
99. toxic - poisonous
100. trepidation
- fear
101. verbose – (adj) wordy
102. zenith – (n) the highest point
LITERATURE
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
Caesura - A pause in a line of verse, near the middle
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
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
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
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
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
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
At his death, what does Beowulf express?
expresses satisfaction at the manner in which he has led his life
ESSAY - Describe
how Beowulf’s approach to each of his three battles differs from one another.
What do these differences reveal about his heroic character?
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
How many husbands did the Wife of Bath have?
Five
The vice against which the Pardoner preaches in all his sermons is?
Avarice
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
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
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
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
ESSAY - Using Chaucer's Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, describe the rising middle class of
fourteenth-century England. In the essay, include the variety of occupations, the degree of
wealth, the level of education, and the beginnings of political power represented among the
pilgrims.
SCREWTAPE LETTERS
“mere Christianity” - gospel free from denominational idiosyncrasies
Cowardice - worst sin, most helpful to devils
God - the Enemy
Hell - state where everyone is perpetually concerned with the self
Jargon - has changed the influence that logic and reason has on man’s views
Law of Undulation - peaks and valleys people go through
Not the prime evil - death
sacrificial love - a concept Satan cannot understand
Screwtape - writer of the letters
Shadowlands - alludes to Lewis’ belief that our world is but a reflection of God’s great kingdom
The Inklings - Oxford literary circle
Toadpipe - takes over the letter writing temporarily
Wormwood - recipient of the letters / perpetrator
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS by John Bunyan
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
Who gave Christian a letter stating, “Flee from the coming wrath”?
Evangelist
Who helped Christian out of the swamp of Despondence?
Help
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
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
Where did Christian’s burden fall off?
The cross
What did Christian’s name used to be?
Graceless
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
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
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
ESSAY - Describe three characters who were given godly advice but did not follow the advice.
What was the advice that they were given? What were the consequences of neglecting the
advice?
Night
One of the few things Wiesel describes about his childhood and life before the Holocaust is his
faith. How does his faith change? Does this book change your view of God?