STUDY GUIDE
TERMS TO KNOW
symbol
parallelism
aside
foil
caesura
tragic flaw
simile
allusion
comic relief
blank verse
kenning
frame story
metaphor
couplet
iambic pentameter
motif
epic hero
personification
paradox
pun
soliloquy
tragic hero
Choose the best answers to each of the prompts that follow.
1.
Which group of adjectives best describes typical Anglo-Saxon culture as it was in Britain?
A. diverse, accepting, inclusive
C. creative, technological, ingenious
B. illiterate, violent, harsh
D. feudalistic, chivalrous, idealistic
2.
Which person would have been most respected among Britain’s Anglo-Saxons prior to 1066?
A. a nun
B. a knight
C. a warrior chief
D. a male peasant
3.
Which religion gained increasingly more acceptance as time passed throughout the Anglo-Saxon era?
A. christianity
4.
B. animism
C. paganism
Britain’s earliest years were dominated by waves of ________________________.
A. inventions
B. invasions
C. incurable diseases
D. Marxism
D. books
5.
The spoken language of the vast majority of Anglo-Saxons during their time of dominance was ____________.
A. Middle English
B. French
C. Old English
D. Modern English
6.
The actions of an epic hero such as Beowulf primarily determine the fate of ___________________.
A. only the epic hero
B. an entire nation of people
C. the hero’s loved ones
D. high-status
characters
The setting of most epics _________________________________________.
A. takes place mostly during winter and fall
C. occurs within only a few days
B. occurs in the epic hero’s native land
D. is vast and may cover multiple nations
7.
8.
The plot of most epics________________________________________.
A. involves a journey to a dangerous place
C. starts with a series of childhood flashbacks
B. ends before the major conflicts are resolved
D. shows what the hero dreams about during his sleep
9.
Most Anglo-Saxons would have most likely known epics like Beowulf because _______________.
A. they would have read the story in a book
C. they would have seen a scop perform it
B. they would have watched the play at a coliseum
D. they would have heard it directly from Beowulf
10. The universal theme of epics like Beowulf is that________________________________________.
A. good ultimately overcomes evil
C. everyone has a monster within
B. Cain killed Abel
D. Herot is a symbol of God’s presence
11. One quality of Beowulf that would also be true of most other classic epics is that __________________________.
A. some characters of the story are Danish
C. the epic’s language is serious and elevated
B. there is a battle in an underwater location
D. Beowulf rips the arm off his antagonist
12.
Which are some qualifying literary devices used throughout Anglo Saxon literature such as Beowulf?
A. alliteration, caesuras, kennings
C. metaphors, similes, personification
B. antithesis, ambiguity, rhetorical questions
D. literary frame story, couplets, stanzas
PASSAGE #1
PASSAGE #2
Little writing from the Anglo-Saxon era remains to be
studied because England was still developing its written
language during many of these years, and storytelling was
generally in the oral tradition. The two types of poetry that
was written during the time period was heroic poetry and
Christian poetry. Only about 30,000 lines of poetry from
the age have survived to this time, and the epic poem
Beowulf makes up a large portion of that. It originated as a
pagan saga transmitted orally from one generation to the
next, and court poets known as ‘scops' were the bearers of
tribal history and tradition. The newer version of Beowulf
was composed by a Christian poet, sometime early in the
8th century. Works such as “Deor”, “The Wanderer”, “The
Seafarer”, and other poems follow the same basic theme as
Beowulf. In these works, a happy past is contrasted with a
precarious and desolate present. This type of heroic poetry
celebrates great heroism even in the face of great danger
and overwhelming odds.
Art in the Anglo-Saxon period was influenced by many places. The
three greatest influences were the Celtic arts of the Britons, the
Christian church in Rome, and the Norse arts following the Viking
invasions. Their manuscript painting, sculpted crosses and ivories,
and enamel designs demonstrate a liking for intricate and interwoven
designs. In the manuscripts of southern England, one can see how the
way of writing changed. Before the 9th century, the writing was
fairly plain. A somewhat different style emerged mid-9th century,
with delicate, lively pen-and-ink figures and heavily decorative
foliage borders. Much of the metalwork from the age has also
survived over the years. It consisted of bronze brooches of simple
design, and circular silver brooches decorated with gold and silver
jewels with inlays of garnet and also decorated with interlaced gold
filigree. Much of their metalwork has survived over the ages, and the
famous ship burial excavated at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, in 1939 has
provided the finest examples of the Saxon goldsmiths' art discovered.
Many other samples of their metalwork have been found in burial
sites, along with samples of their pottery.
THE MIDDLE AGES
13. Under the feudal system of Medieval England, _________________ separated the economically powerful from the powerless.
A.
the military
B. land ownership
C. the Pope
D. the code of chivalry
14. Aside from the king, the most powerful social force in Medieval England was/were ____________________.
A. the queen
B. knights
C. the Church
D. the Anglo-Saxon peasants
15. Which of the following DOES NOT reflect the true spirit of chivalry?
A. avoiding vulgar language in the presence of ladies C. using any means necessary to win a competition
B.
Remaining loyal to your leader even under pressure
D. choosing to tell the truth even when it brings a consequence
16. The most popular medieval romances are stories about _____________________________.
A. King Arthur
B. the plague
C. pilgrims
D. the War of the Roses
17. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, in ________________________.
A. Latin
B. Old English
C. Middle English
D. French
18. Which best summarizes the literary frame story of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales?
A. Ten friends decide to tell stories over ten days as they flee the city to avoid the plague.
B. Thirty pilgrims tell stories to pass the time as they travel to Thomas a Becket’s shrine.
C. Three drunk friends decide to pursue Death in order to avenge the death of a fourth friend.
D. The Middle Ages is a time that begins with a famous battle and subsequently ends with a war.
19. The narrator of the General Prologue states that his primary goal is to describe The Canterbury Tales’ __________.
A. setting
B. plot
C. characters
D. irony
Identify the error used in each sentence or identify the sentence as CORRECT.
A = Run-on
B = Fragment
C = Subject-verb Agreement Error
D = Apostrophe error
E = Correct
42. The knights and their lord fights bravely for the king.
43. Although some of the craftsmen did not enjoy their professions.
44. There was limited interaction between merchants and peasants.
45. A vassals loyalty to the king had to be shown on a daily basis.
46. Whenever the monarch felt like ordering someone’s death.
47. The young boy wanted to be a knight but he lacked sponsorship of any noble.
THE RENAISSANCE
Macbeth: [Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down or else o’erleap,
50For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
48. These are words that Macbeth ___________________.
A. never says aloud on stage. He only thinks of them.
B. says loudly so that everyone within earshot will hear
C. writes down in a letter and sends to someone
D. says aloud, but some characters do not hear them
49. Macbeth symbolically refers to The Prince of Cumberland as___________________________.
A. a step
B. a star
C. a deep desire
D. as a winking eye
50. Based on this passage, how would Macbeth feel if the stars were to simply stop providing light for vision?
A. frightened
B. angry
C. relieved
D. confused
51. The reader can infer from the passage that Macbeth feels that the action he is about to do is _________________.
A. righteous
Lady Macbeth.
B . wicked
C. necessary
D. popular
O, never
Shall sun that morrow see!
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
60May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ‘t.
52. To whom does Lady Macbeth speak in this passage?
A. Herself
B. her thane
C. God
53. Which phrase states a simile?
A. O, never shall that morrow see
B. Bear welcome in your eye
D. There is no way of knowing her audience.
C. Your face, my thane, is as a book
D. men may read strange matters
54. Which word could be used to replace innocent as it is used here without changing the meaning of the
passage?
A. ambitious
B. secretive
C. blameless
D. attractive
55. Which item in the passage is used as a symbol of evil?
A. sun
B. book
C. tongue
D. serpent
56. Overall, what is Lady Macbeth’s overall message in this passage?
A. Do everything before the sun goes down because tomorrow is not promised.
B. Beware of doing evil deeds because sin comes back to haunt people.
C. The only thing that matters in life is that people are welcoming to each other.
D. Presenting oneself in a friendly manner helps to cover up an evil agenda.
57. A senior has been assigned to write a paper that compares Shakespeare’s use of literary devices in Macbeth to the
playwright’s use of literary devices in Much Ado About Nothing. Which key words will be least helpful when typed into an
academic database?
A. Symbolism in Macbeth
C. Puns in Much Ado About Nothing
B. Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and comedies
D. Characterization in Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing
58. Mark must find scholarly information about a person of his choice from England’s Renaissance period, but he knows
very little about people from the era. Based on the titles of the following articles, which would probably be most useful in
helping Mark narrow down his options to three people?
A. “Da Vinci: The Greatest Renaissance Man”
C. “Highlights From the Middle Ages and the Renaissance”
B. “Shakespeare, Galileo, and Ten Other 16th Century Icons”
D. “Facts and Fiction about England’s Renaissance”
59. Chanel has read 15 poems from the Renaissance and is now making a list of questions to ask during tomorrow’s class
discussion. Her teacher states that students will be evaluated based on the “depth, originality, and insight” of their questions
about the poetry. Which method of preparation will be of most help to Chanel?
A. Reflect back to questions the teacher asked the class during lessons and restate those questions.
B. Go online to a generic website such as sparknotes.com and copy questions from the website.
C. Text or speak to a student who takes the class before she does and ask her share the best questions from her class period.
D. Review the play ahead of time and read relevant commentary that inspires her to originally question the material.
60. Carmen must turn in her research paper in MLA format. Which of the following will automatically cause her to lose points?
A. using a .5 inch margin on all sides
C. using size 12 font
B. citing her sources within the paper
D. turning the paper in electronically such as through turnitin.com