WorksheetsAnglo-Saxon and Beowulf Test
Total questions: 48
Worksheet time: 24mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Much of Anglo-Saxon literature was passed down in what manner?
a)
Through runes carved into tablets
b)
Cave drawings
c)
Orally
d)
Huge murals on buildings’ walls
2.
Which of the following is a major contribution of the Romans to England before they departed?
a)
Dining habits
b)
Religion
c)
Livestock management
d)
Marriage practices
3.
After the Romans left in 407, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded. What significant word did they contribute to the English language?
a)
January
b)
November
c)
Pluto
d)
Friday
4.
Who passed down/performed this literature during the Anglo-Saxon period?
a)
lyric poem writers
b)
historians
c)
scops
d)
priests
5.
The purpose of the caesura in a line of Anglo-Saxon poetry is to
a)
remind a scop what to say
b)
provide a metaphorical name for something
c)
indicate a pause for breath
d)
mark the four beats in a line
6.
After the Romans evacuated their troops, Britain was left with
a)
a strong army
b)
a system of roads and architecture
c)
Swahili as its official language
d)
A strong, centralized government of its own
7.
Why does Beowulf sail with his chosen companions to Hrothgar’s kingdom?
a)
To bring home treasures from that rich kingdom
b)
To help Hrothgar by destroying a monster (and for the clout)
c)
To win glory by slaying a fire-breathing dragon
d)
To take over Hrothgar’s kingdom
8.
What is the name of the hall where Grendel stalked?
a)
Hrothgar
b)
Higlac
c)
Wiglaf
d)
Herot
9.
Grendel can be identified as all of the following except:
a)
a merciless killer
b)
an evil demon
c)
a dragon
d)
a dweller in darkness
10.
Why can’t Grendel be injured by the weapons of Beowulf’s men?
a)
His body is protected by magic
b)
He somehow enchants their arms and eyes
c)
They dare not strike for fear of hurting Beowulf
d)
Beowulf orders them to stay away from Grendel
11.
After Grendel has killed thirty men, why does Herot stand neglected and deserted 12 winters?
a)
Grendel now lives there
b)
The king left
c)
Nobody wants to stay the night there
d)
The warriors are away at war
12.
How does Beowulf manage to kill Grendel?
a)
Through hand-to-hand combat
b)
By using a magic sword
c)
By drowning him
d)
By exhausting and then stabbing him
13.
Beowulf is the embodiment of the Anglo-Saxon hero. Which of the following is NOT shown in his character and actions?
a)
Great courage
b)
Humility and reserve
c)
Loyalty and allegiance
d)
Desire and fame
14.
What did Grendel’s mother take when she found out what happened to her son?
a)
Grendel’s arm
b)
Beowulf’s arm
c)
Grendel’s head
d)
Hrothgar’s daughter
15.
What did Beowulf use to kill Grendel’s mother?
a)
his own sword
b)
his bare hands
c)
the hilt of a sword
d)
a giant, enchanted sword
16.
What does the alliteration in the following lines help most to emphasize?“But Higlac’s follower…/fastened those claws/in his fists till they cracked; clutched Grendel closer.”
a)
Beowulf’s family background
b)
The sounds of the battle
c)
The courage of Beowulf
d)
Grendel’s fear
17.
From which fact can the reader infer that Beowulf is honorable?
a)
Beowulf refuses to use weapons because Grendel has none
b)
Higlac is Beowulf’s cousin
c)
Beowulf is the strongest of the Geats
d)
Beowulf vows to ambush Grendel and destroy the monster
18.
What does this line mean—“the monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws.”
a)
He is hungry
b)
He has intelligence
c)
He has sharp claws
d)
He is not trustworthy
19.
What monster threatened Geatland (home of Beowulf)?
a)
Dragon
b)
Chimera
c)
Giant
d)
Hydra
20.
When the dying Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold necklace, the gesture means that
a)
Beowulf has captured the monster’s treasure
b)
Beowulf wants Wiglaf to kill his comrades
c)
Beowulf recognizes Wiglaf’s superior strength in battle
d)
Beowulf is passing on the rulership of Geatland to Wiglaf
21.
Which of the following best summarizes the theme of Beowulf?
a)
Might makes right.
b)
Brains are superior to brawn.
c)
Wickedness cannot be defeated.
d)
Truth will triumph.
22.
After his death, warriors honor Beowulf by
a)
sending his armor to Hrothgar
b)
making his son Wiglaf king
c)
building a tower in his honor
d)
building a new mead hall
23.
Beowulf is an example of which type of writing
a)
Ballad
b)
epic
c)
elegy
d)
limerick
24.
A brief, descriptive phrase that re-names a person or thing (such as “Guardian of Crime” for Grendel or “whale-road” for ocean) is known as a(n)
a)
Scop
b)
conceit
c)
kenning
d)
simile
25.
The line“Up from the swampland, sliding silently, Grendel came” is an example of what literary device?
a)
metaphor
b)
rhyme
c)
alliteration
d)
personification
26.
The speaker of “The Wife’s Lament” has undergone a separation from
a)
Her daughter who died in childbirth
b)
Her son who was lost in battle
c)
Her husband who was killed in battle
d)
Her husband who has exiled her
27.
An epic is a long narrative poem that
a)
Expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker
b)
Celebrates God
c)
Dramatizes history
d)
Celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure
28.
The phrase “summer’s sentinel” to refer to a cuckoo is an example of
a)
A kenning
b)
A predicate
c)
A scop
d)
A caesura
29.
“Dragging the dead men home to his den” would be an example of what?
a)
Caesura
b)
Kenning
c)
Alliteration
d)
Elegy
30.
“Burns like a torch. No one knows its bottom” is an example of a line of Beowulf in which a mid-line pause is indicated by punctuation or a break. This is also called what?
a)
Caesura
b)
Kenning
c)
Alliteration
d)
Elegy
31.
The young warrior loyal to Beowulf; helps him fight dragon
a)
Wiglaf
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Beowulf
e)
scop
32.
The King who invites a foreign hero to his land
a)
Hrothgar
b)
Grendel
c)
Wiglaf
d)
Beowulf
e)
scop
33.
A traveling poet-singer who told heroic legends
a)
scop
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
Beowulf
34.
The mead hall where Grendel eats
a)
Herot
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
Beowulf
35.
Anglo-Saxon word for fate
a)
wyrd
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
Beowulf
36.
Hrothgar’s people; haunted by a vicious monster
a)
Danes
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
Beowulf
37.
A hero of the Geats; dies of a dragon bite
a)
Beowulf
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
scop
38.
They left their religion and system of writing in England
a)
Romans
b)
Grendel
c)
Hrothgar
d)
Wiglaf
e)
Beowulf
39.
He becomes a one-armed monster who later loses his head
a)
Grendel
b)
Hrothgar
c)
Wiglaf
d)
Beowulf
e)
scop
40.
Grendel is said to be descended from what biblical character?
a)
David
b)
Lilith
c)
Samson
d)
Cain
41.
What two items does Beowulf bring to the surface with him when he leaves the lair?
a)
Grendel’s arm and head
b)
Grendel’s head and the hilt of the giants' sword
c)
Grendel’s arm and the hilt of the giants' sword
d)
Treasure and the hilt of the giants' sword
42.
How/Why did the dragon, Beowulf’s last foe, awaken and start harassing the Geats?
a)
Just woke up and chose violence one day
b)
Beowulf and his warriors woke him
c)
Slave/Thief stole a cup
d)
What dragon???
43.
Since it was first told during the Anglo-Saxon period, Beowulf has remained the same.
a)
True
b)
False
44.
Grendel couldn’t harm Hrothgar’s throne because
a)
It was protected by god
b)
It was built by giants
c)
It was guarded
d)
He couldn’t reach it
45.
How did Christianity spread to the Anglo-Saxon culture?
a)
Jesus came and taught about God
b)
St. Augustine converted an Anglo-Saxon powerful king; the Romans introduced it.
c)
The Anglo-Saxons were always Christians so no one knows.
d)
The Anglo-Saxons never were influenced by Christianity.
46.
Why does Wiglaf think he and his comrades should help Beowulf fight the dragon?
a)
because Beowulf is too old and sick to fight
b)
because it will increase Beowulf's chance at victory
c)
because then Beowulf’s comrades can claim the monster’s treasure
d)
because the warriors swore oaths to Beowulf for his kindness
47.
Wergild is best defined as:
a)
payment given to someone so that they will kill one’s enemies
b)
payment given to another family to stop them from killing someone in your family (retaliatory killing); to repay a debt
c)
payment given to someone for goods and services
d)
payment given so weapons can be purchased for battle against a family that has done severe wrong
48.
Beowulf was originally written in
a)
Old English
b)
Middle English
c)
French
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