That Gawain Quiz

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with an allusion to

• The fall of Troy

• The democratic establishment of Athens

• The plague

• The Roman god of war

What holiday is being celebrated at Arthur's court?

• Christmas and the New Year

• Easter

• St. Crispin's Day

• St. Valentine's Day

Which of the following is NOT true of King Arthur?

• He is active and restless

• He is a deeply religious king

• He often demands a tale before dinner

• He jokes and laughs frequently

Which of the following words best describes the imagery at Arthur's court?

• foreboding and dark

• stately and formal

• festive and bright

• somber and pious

Aside from his green hue, what else is notable about the green knight?

• He speaks a language foreign to everyone at the court

• He is transparent, as a ghost

• He has no armor

• He carries no weapon

What is the initial reaction to the knight's challenge?

• Everyone in the court assumes it's a joke and laughs

• Arthur throws down his gauntlet and accepts the challenge

• A rush of knights volunteer to accept the challenge

• There is an awkward silence

What is Gawain's argument for why he should be chosen to take the challenge?

• He offers to do it for the Lady Guenevere

• He is the bravest of the knights

• He is the weakest knight so his death would mean the least loss

• He is Arthur's best friend

What does Gawain do to the Green Knight?

• Runs him through with a lance

• Beheads him

• Slashes him once on each cheek

• Taunts him and turns him away for a coward

What makes the reader suspect there is at least a mild undercurrent of satire in the story thus far?

• The Green Knight's taunts show verbal irony

• The hero is a supernatural being, showing situational irony

• The timing of the story is at the end of the year and beginning of a new one, which shows reveral

• The legendary knights of the Round Table appear cowardly, showing situational irony and incongruity