WorksheetsBeowulf Reading Check #1
Total questions: 52
Worksheet time: 2hrs 10mins
What time and place is the setting for the epic poem?
The fourth century in Angleland
The fifth century in the land of the Jutes and Swedes
The sixth century in what is now known as Denmark and southwestern Sweden.
The eighth century, in the land of the Wulflings
Who is Grendel conceived/spawned from?
Abel
Cain
Pagan devil
Evil gods
When would Grendel attack Herot?
at night
when Beowulf wasn't in town
when Hrothgar was on his throne
at daybreak
How many men did Grendel kill and take with him the first time he attacked Herot?
12
18
30
100
How much time goes by between when we first meet Grendel to the coming of Beowulf?
30 long nights
12 winters
5 Christian years
8 Pagan years
Why did Grendel never dare touch king Hrothgar's throne?
Its gold was too well guarded by the warriors.
Hrothgar challenged him to a duel.
He was scared of Beowulf.
It was protected by God.
How many men does Beowulf plan to bring with him to Herot?
7 soldiers brave and true
30 men who volunteered
14 of the bravest and the best Geats
He plans to go alone because he needs no help
Which quotation suggests that Beowulf believes in fate?
"In his far off home Beowulf, Higlac's follower and the strongest of the Geats ..."
"[Beowulf] Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror"
"He knew the sea, would point the prow straight to that distant Danish shore"
"Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find, the bravest and the best of the Geats"
As whom are Beowulf's men known?
The Danes
The Jutes
The Geats
The Wulflings
When did King Hrothgar see all the devastation?
At daybreak
At midnight
He never saw it
As it occurred
How does this line tell that Beowulf learned of Hrothgar's plight: "Now Grendel's name has echoed in our land."
Beowulf learns of Grendel via Cain.
Beowulf learns of Grendel via sailors.
Beowulf learns of Grendel via letters.
Beowulf learns of Grendel from monks.
King Hrothgar's acquaintance with Beowulf exists because of the King's relationship with Beowulf's father whose name is what?
Wulfgar
Higlac
Edgetho
Hrunting
What is a mead-hall?
King Hrothgar's palace, Herot
Grendel's lair
A dragon's lair
A place where people purchase mead
Who only does King Hrothgar state could stop Grendel's madness?
The Geats
The Lord Almighty
The Devil
The Hathlaf
Beowulf insists on fighting Grendel in what manner?
Using a knife and sword
Using a hammer and sword
Using his bare hands
Using a mail shirt and sweltered armor
Who does Beowulf say would think "less of him" if he let his sword go where his feet are afraid?"
Grendel
King Hrothgar
Wulfgar
King Higlac
Where does Grendel live?
deep in the swamp/marsh
high above the jungle
under the ocean
within the village
What is the name of the place Beowulf came from?
Land of the Wulflings (Sweden today)
Land of the Geats (Sweden today)
Land of the Jutes (Denmark today)
Land of the Danes (Denmark today)
How did Beowulf and his men get to Denmark?
By ice climbing
On foot
By boat
On horseback
Beowulf was known to have the strength of how many men?
20
30
40
50
How long did it take Beowulf to reach Grendel's mother's lair?
Half of a day (12 hours)
Third of a day (8 hours)
A full day (24 hours)
Fourth of a day (6 hours)
What did Hrothgar give Beowulf after he killed Grendel's mother?
half his kingdom
12 chests of gold, gems, and a fathers kiss
promise to inherit after his death
12 chests of gems, 50 shillings, and a nice warm hug
What does Beowulf take when he defeats Grendel?
His head
His arm
His foot
His sinews
What are sinews?
The tendons in the shoulder of Grendel
Grendel's muscles
Grendel's bones
Skin cells of Grendel
Where does Grendel's mother live?
Loch Ness
In a Gothic castle
The North Sea
Under the lake of fire
Why couldn't the men use their weapons against Grendel?
They think they were tough
The mother weakened their swords with a spell
They were dull
They didn't have any
What is the watchman's reaction when he first spots Beowulf and his crew?
He is worried about why they are there with weapons.
He is excited to see them.
He is not concerned at all.
He is runs to tell the others.
Which of these is the truth about Beowulf in these first five sections?
He is the leader of all Geats.
He is the strongest and greatest of all men in the world.
He is an orphan who found his way to Herot.
Hrothgar summons him to save his people.
What does Beowulf ask of Hrothgar?
Let Beowulf and his men fight alone
To borrow a weapon
To lend the help of his men
To get as many men as possible to fight Grendel
In the very beginning of the story, Grendel gets angry because of which actions of the Danish warriors?
The men are singing loudly and praising God.
The men are sleeping and won’t open the door.
The men are won’t share their mead with him.
The men are mean and vicious toward Grendel.
How do Hrothgar and his people first react to the bloodbath they awaken to?
They all pray to God for His help.
They all immediately prepare for battle.
They all grieve and shed tears for those lost.
They all send a messenger to find a hero.
To whom do the Danes turn for help before the coming of Beowulf?
The old stone god's and the devil.
God and the saints in Heaven
The surrounding tribes of people
Grendel's mother in the marsh
Grendel’s mother comes to reclaim her son’s arm and kills whom?
Hrothgar’s best friend
Grendel's father
Beowulf's follower
No one
Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother with what?
His bare hands
Unferth's sword Hrunting
His sword, Excalibur
A magical sword made by giants
Beowulf's ability to swim underwater for hours is an example of what?
wyrd
kenning
a larger-than-life hero trait
elevated language
How does the setting of the battle with Grendel's Mother add to its epic significance?
The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, which provides a clear contrast between good and evil.
It is a dangerous, mythical, and fantastic setting.
Beowulf shouldn't be able to survive down there, which only adds to his qualifications as an epic hero.
It lies under a lake of fire which is a Biblical allusion.
Why is Grendel's Mother a far more dangerous opponent than Grendel?
Her sword is more powerful than Beowulf's.
She has multiple arms and can attack Beowulf from all sides.
She cannot be harmed by any ordinary sword.
Beowulf cannot look her in the eye or else he'll turn into stone.
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Grendel's Mother is more dangerous than her son?
She is surrounded by other creatures who also attack Beowulf.
She is more vicious; she claws, tears, and rips at his flesh.
She destroys his legendary, ancestral helmet.
She can shape-shift, confusing Beowulf during their battle.
What do we call the phrase in Anglo-Saxon poetry: "Mighty Water Witch"?
epithet
kenning
alliteration
caesura
What two items does Beowulf take with him from Grendel's Mother's lair?
The hilt of Hrunting and Grendel's Mother's head
The hilt of the magic sword and Grendel's head
Grendel's Mother's head and Grendel's body
The sword, Hrunting, and Grendel's head
Why does Beowulf not take the treasure from Grendel's Mother's lair?
It is too well hidden.
It burned up in the lake of fire.
The treasure is cursed.
Treasure is of no interest. Only glory!
Why does Beowulf toss his sword aside?
It is useless against Grendel's Mother.
It's not sharp enough.
Grendel's Mother bites the blade in half.
Her acidic blood dissolves the sword's blade.
What saves Beowulf from the claws and dagger of Grendel's mother?
his chain mail shirt
his battle helmet
his sword, Hrunting
his swift swimming
When the she-wolf dies, a brilliant light shines "as bright as Heaven's own candle." The poet uses this imagery to show what?
that daylight has come after an all-night battle.
that good has triumphed over evil.
that Beowulf's body is glowing like gold.
that Beowulf and Grendel were both birthed by a she-wolf.
What motivates Grendel's mom into attacking Herot?
love
hope
faith
revenge
What does Beowulf do when he sees Grendel's body in the lair?
Weeps
Leaves the body untouched
Burns the body
Cuts off his head
What does Beowulf find when he returns to shore from the battle in the mere?
Hrothgar and his men had given up and left, but his own men had waited for him.
His men had returned to Daneland thinking that he had perished in the cave.
Hrothgar had built a shrine to Beowulf's greatness on the shore of the mere.
The Danes and the Geats were at war because the Geats blamed the Danes for Beowulf's demise.
Even though Beowulf could easily carry Grendel's head, how many of his men did it take to carry it back to Hrothgar?
2
3
4
5
