Extension Selection Test from Beowulf

When Beowulf and his men reach the Danish coast, which of the following is the most likely reason that the watchman allows the Geats to enter Denmark?

• The watchman is impressed by Beowulf’s family relationship with Edgetho.

• The watchman is frightened by Beowulf’s weapons and armor.

• The watchman is persuaded by Beowulf’s reasons for his mission.

• The watchman is troubled by Beowulf’s secretive manner.

Part B: Which lines from the poem best support the correct answer to Part A?

• a. . . . Nor have I ever seen, / Out of all the men on earth, one greater / Than has come with you; no commoner carries / Such weapons. . .

• b. . . . You! Tell me your name, / And your father’s; no spies go further onto Danish / Soil than you’ve come already . . .

• c. None have ever come more openly— / And yet you’ve offered no password, no sign / From my prince, no permission from people for your landing / Here. . . .

• d. A soldier should know the difference between words / And deeds, and keep that knowledge clear / In his brain. I believe your words, I trust in / Your friendship. . . .

Which of the following is the most likely reason that the author shows Beowulf as a warrior at different stages of his life?

• to show Beowulf as a hero deserving of glory

• to warn young warriors of the danger of arrogance

• to portray Beowulf as a superhuman fighter

• to show changes in Beowulf’s character as he grows older

Part B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A?

• That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime [Grendel] / Knew at once that nowhere on earth / Had he met a man whose hands were harder; / His mind was flooded with fear [of Beowulf] . . . .

• [The dragon’s] breath flared, / And he suffered, wrapped around in swirling flames / Flames—a king, before, but now / A beaten warrior . . . .

• “. . . I [Wiglaf] swear that nothing / [Beowulf] ever did deserved an end / Like this, dying miserable and alone. . . .”

• And then twelve of the bravest Geats / Rode their horses round the tower, / Telling their sorrow, telling stories / Of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, . . . Praising him for heroic deeds, for a life / As noble as his name. . . .

In Beowulf, what is the purpose of the hero's boasts?

• To describe his deeds as a warrior and tell how he will fight the monsters

• To express his fear and reluctance to fight

• To seek advice from his fellow warriors

• To entertain the audience with fictional stories

In which of the following sentences is apposition most clearly used to elaborate on a noun or a noun phrase, rather than to simply identify the thing it names?

• The Romans, feared warriors and rulers of much of the known world, invaded the island of Britain in 55 B.C.

• After the Romans left Britain, Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, conquered the island.

• By the eighth century, Angleland, the island’s new name, was home to a number of Germanic kingdoms.

• The Vikings, seafarers from Scandinavia, began their destructive raids on England in 793 A.D.

Which of the following sentences illustrates the use of diazeugma?

• Britons were pushed to the west as Anglo-Saxons established kingdoms along the coats and in the river valleys.

• Anglo-Saxon craftsmen forged swords that were works of art, from their razor sharp blades to their jewel-studded hilts.

• Anglo-Saxon warriors participated in sports, building strength, agility, and self-confidence, and learning to overcome fear.

• The Anglo-Saxon ruler Alfred of Wessex struggled against the Vikings, finally defeated them, and created a united England.

Before Beowulf fought Grendel, he told the Danes he would need no shroud if the monster carried him off. From the context in which it appears, what is the most likely meaning of the word "shroud"?

• cover or protection

• funeral cloth

• hide from view

• veil in mystery

Which definition clarifies the precise meaning of the word shroud as it is used in the sentence in Part A?

shroud (SHROWD) n. 1. cloth in which a body is wrapped for burial 2. something that hides or conceals 3. something that obscures; v. 1. to wrap a body for burial 2. to hide or conceal from view 3. to obscure

• noun definition 1

• noun definition 2

• verb definition 1

• verb definition 2

Which of the following is ONE of the purposes the author chose to use the apposition "shepherd of evil, guardian of crime" to describe Grendel?

• To emphasize Grendel's evil nature

• To create sympathy for Grendel

• To confuse the reader

Tags

CC.1.3.11–12.D

CC.1.3.11–12.F