Anglo-Saxon Poetry and Culture Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is a repetition of initial sounds in two or more words of a line of poetry?

alliteration

What is the pause or break in a line of Anglo-Saxon poetry?

caesura

In the Germanic tradition, what is the relationship between a leader and his warriors, or a king and his lords called?

comitatus

What is a double metaphor, usually hyphenated, for example, 'swan-road' for sea?

<p>kenning</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did scops help to preserve?

<p>stories and history</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which was not a method used by scops to help them remember the stories?

<p>Kenning</p> Signup and view all the answers

A caesura is a primary accent.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Kenning is a double metaphor, usually hyphenated.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the oral tradition, each telling or singing of a story differed from the last.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The hero in an epic is _____?

<p>an ideal</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did the Anglo-Saxons regard life?

<p>a transitory occurrence</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the relationship between paganism and Christianity during the time of the Anglo-Saxons?

<p>Many pagan warrior traditions were kept and given Christian purpose.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the statements best describes comitatus?

<p>It was closely linked with pagan warriors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Wiglaf was different from Beowulf's other retainers because he _____?

<p>remained loyal to Beowulf until the end</p> Signup and view all the answers

Beowulf was probably written in the early 1200s.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the date of the Beowulf manuscript?

<p>AD 1000</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the date of Hygelac's death?

<p>AD 521</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the latest date for the original writing of Beowulf?

<p>AD 790-830</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the original form of the Beowulf story?

<p>oral tradition</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who founded the Danish royal line?

<p>Scyld Scefing</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the ship burial site?

<p>Oseburg, Norway</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Hrothgar's kingdom?

<p>Denmark</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the home of Geats and Beowulf?

<p>Sweden</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where was Beowulf when Grendel burst into the hall?

<p>pretending to be asleep</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is not an accurate description of Grendel?

<p>Three rows of blood-thirsty teeth</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which line numbers show Grendel's first recognition that he was facing an extraordinary opponent?

<p>750 to 754</p> Signup and view all the answers

What lines explain why swords were useless against Grendel?

<p>798 to 805</p> Signup and view all the answers

What kenning is used in the description of Grendel's end?

<p>death-sick</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Hrothgar's queen's name?

<p>Wealhtheow</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Hrothgar's hall called?

<p>Heorot</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who carried off a chieftain?

<p>Grendel's mother</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is the king of the Geats?

<p>Hygelac</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is the king of the Danes?

<p>Hrothgar</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who tries to avenge Grendel's death?

<p>his mother</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hrothgar caution Beowulf against?

<p>pride</p> Signup and view all the answers

To whom does Beowulf give the treasures he has earned?

<p>Hygelac</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is the best summary of Beowulf's last words?

<p>We are members of a great, proud, and dying group of people. I, too, must die.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which heroic quality was Beowulf not eulogized as having?

<p>Bravery</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is manorial land held by the lord, attached to the manor house, and not held by serfs or freemen?

<p>demesne</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a social, economic, and political system in the Middle Ages in which vassals gave military service in return for land and protection from a lord?

<p>feudalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

In feudal society, what is the land held from a lord in return for service called?

<p>fief</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the ceremony in which the vassal declares his loyalty to his lord and receives his fief?

<p>investiture</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a social and economic system in the Middle Ages?

<p>manorialism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a noble holding a fief from another noble of higher rank called?

<p>vassal</p> Signup and view all the answers

A fief is a noble.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The demesne is the best land on the manor.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Serfs were bound to the land and to the manor.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Freemen could rent land and hire serfs.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Manorialism was a system of government.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The church was central to the life of medieval man.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Feudalism originated after Charlemagne's death.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

What were trade associations called?

<p>guilds</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who were the members of the new middle class?

<p>tradesmen, merchants, and shopkeepers</p> Signup and view all the answers

What caused feudalism to decline?

<p>Because trade increased, cities grew, and a middle class was created, the system was no longer necessary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is the 'Conqueror'?

<p>William</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a list of property holders called?

<p>Domesday Book</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the archbishop of Canterbury?

<p>Thomas à Becket</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who lost the throne to William?

<p>Harold</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who lost most English possessions in France?

<p>King John</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who set up the forerunner of the modern grand jury?

<p>Henry II</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who conquered Wales?

<p>Edward I</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was called 'Beauclerc'?

<p>Henry I</p> Signup and view all the answers

Southeast Midland is a dialect of Middle English.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Geoffrey Chaucer used the language that was used in London or what was called the Late Middle English.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

England had three dialects of Middle English.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Chaucer's language was the language of London.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Middle English differs from Modern English in pronunciation of long vowels, some diphthongs, and some consonants.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Final e is silent in Middle English.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Gh is pronounced ch in Middle English.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

In Middle English, h and gn are not silent in words of French origin.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a humorous tale that was popular in France called?

<p>fabliau</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the title of the 'Romance of the Rose'?

<p>Guillaume de Lorris</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who wrote the 'Divine Comedy'?

<p>Dante</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who authored the 'Decameron'?

<p>Boccacio</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the shrine at Canterbury?

<p>Thomas à Becket</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who wrote the 'Book of the Duchesse'?

<p>Chaucer</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the list of characters and setting referred to in literature?

<p>'Prologue'</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which three are members of the chivalric and military group?

<p>the squire, the knight, the yeoman</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which five are members of the regular clergy?

<p>the prioress, the nun's priest, the friar, the monk, the second nun</p> Signup and view all the answers

Chaucer's intention was for each traveler to tell how many tales?

<p>four</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the Canterbury Tales, a ___________ to the shrine of Thomas à Becket forms the large framework.

<p>pilgrimage</p> Signup and view all the answers

Each tale is _____.

<p>linked to the one before it</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what month does the pilgrimage take place?

<p>April</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many pilgrims are mentioned in the 'Prologue' besides Chaucer?

<p>29</p> Signup and view all the answers

At what inn did the pilgrims meet?

<p>Tabard</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many mortal battles did the knight fight?

<p>15</p> Signup and view all the answers

Even though the knight won fame and honors, he was also very __________.

<p>wise</p> Signup and view all the answers

Select all of the characteristics that best describe the knight.

<p>Fought in religious wars</p> Signup and view all the answers

Select all of the characteristics that best describe the squire.

<p>Composes music and poetry</p> Signup and view all the answers

As a military man, the yeoman is a ____________.

<p>sergeant</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a Franciscan?

<p>friar</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a poor student called?

<p>clerk</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Madame Eglentyne?

<p>prioress</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a successful tradesman called?

<p>merchant</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an Augustinian?

<p>monk</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a newly rich person called?

<p>franklin</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a lawyer of high rank called?

<p>sergeant of laws</p> Signup and view all the answers

To become a sergeant of laws, a lawyer had to have at least _______ years' experience.

<p>16</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was a worldly person who enjoyed hunting and riding, even though those pastimes were against Church Law?

<p>monk</p> Signup and view all the answers

The other pilgrims knew that the five _________________ were successful because they had silver rather than brass trim on their ______________.

<p>guildsmen; knives</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Poetry and Literary Terms

  • Alliteration: The repetition of initial sounds in two or more words within a line of poetry.
  • Caesura: A pause or break in a line of Anglo-Saxon poetry, not necessarily a primary accent.
  • Comitatus: The bond between a leader and his warriors, emphasizing loyalty and mutual obligation.
  • Kenning: A compound metaphor, often hyphenated, such as "swan-road" representing the sea.

Anglo-Saxon Culture and Traditions

  • Scops helped preserve oral stories but did not use kennings as a memory aid.
  • Life, according to Anglo-Saxon belief, was viewed as a transitory occurrence.
  • The relationship between paganism and Christianity involved the adaptation of pagan traditions for Christian purposes.

Beowulf Context

  • Beowulf's Manuscript Date: Texts were likely written in AD 790-830; the manuscript itself dates to AD 1000.
  • Hygelac's Death: Recorded around AD 521.
  • Heroic Qualities: Beowulf epitomizes an ideal hero, known for exceptional bravery and loyalty, unlike his other retainers, particularly emphasized through Wiglaf's loyalty.

Characters and Geography in Beowulf

  • Hrothgar: King of Denmark, associated with Heorot, his great hall; wife is Wealhtheow.
  • Grendel: A monstrous antagonist defeated by Beowulf, described vividly in the poem.
  • Grendel's Mother: Seeks vengeance after Grendel's defeat.
  • Geats: The people of Beowulf, originating from Sweden.

Language and Literature Transition

  • Feudalism: A social system where vassals provided military service in exchange for land and protection.
  • Manorialism: An economic arrangement within feudalism, focused on the agricultural estate.
  • Demesne: Land held by the lord, not farmed by serfs.
  • Guilds: Trade associations that represented the interests of the burgeoning middle class.

Historical Figures and Events

  • William: Known as "the Conqueror," pivotal in altering England's social structure.
  • Domesday Book: A comprehensive inventory of landholdings and property owners in England.
  • Thomas à Becket: Archbishop of Canterbury, his shrine became a pilgrimage destination.

The Canterbury Tales Overview

  • Pilgrimage to Thomas à Becket's shrine forms the narrative framework.
  • Chaucer intended each pilgrim to tell four tales, linking each narrative in a collective structure.
  • The characters range across social classes, including knights, clergy, and tradesmen, reflecting medieval society.

Character Sketches from The Canterbury Tales

  • Knight: Embodies chivalry, fought numerous battles, noted for loyalty and wisdom.
  • Squire: Son of the knight, skilled in arts, aspires to romance, actively participates in war.
  • Yeoman: A sergeant akin to a military figure, indicative of the rising middle class.
  • Friar: A religious figure who contradicted Church laws with indulgences in worldly pleasures.

Social Dynamics and Roles

  • Clerk: A poor student dedicated to learning, contrasting with wealthier classes.
  • Prioress (Madame Eglentyne): Represents the pious yet worldly view of the Church.
  • Merchant: Depicts emerging economic power and entrepreneurial spirit.
  • Franklin: A symbol of the newly rich class, he enjoyed life’s pleasures.

This structured overview encapsulates the essential themes, characters, and historical contexts relevant to the study of Anglo-Saxon literature, particularly "Beowulf" and "The Canterbury Tales."

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Description

Test your knowledge on the key poetic terms and cultural traditions from the Anglo-Saxon period. This quiz covers important concepts such as alliteration, caesura, and the heroic qualities depicted in 'Beowulf'. Discover the rich literary heritage and cultural practices of the Anglo-Saxons.

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