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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who stays awake waiting for Grendel while the other warriors sleep in the hall?

2. What are Grendel's arms described as being like?

3. After Beowulf tells the story of himself and Breca, what does he call Unferth?

4. What are Hrothgar and his warriors doing when Grendel first enters Heorot?

5. What kind of man is Unferth described as being?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the watchman see the "glint of death" in Beowulf's party?

2. What does the dragon do in seeking his revenge?

3. When do Beowulf and his men learn of the attack of Grendel's mother on Heorot?

4. According to Hrothgar, what cannot harm Grendel?

5. Where is Grendel's mother's lair located?

6. How do Beowulf's men react when they see that Beowulf is faltering during his battle with the dragon?

7. What is the name of the man the watchman says will meet Beowulf and his men at the door of Heorot, and what is the man's position in the kingdom?

8. What do Beowulf's people do with the dragon's treasure and why?

9. Why is Beowulf scarcely able to breathe as he fights the dragon?

10. What does Beowulf command Wiglaf to do with the treasure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do you think the journey of Beowulf's life changes him over time? Or, do you think his heroic deeds merely prepared him to be king one day?

Essay Topic 2

Each of Beowulf's three foes fall along a scale ranging from completely monster to the most human-like. Place the foes in order of least human to most human and discuss the characteristics of each in terms of their animal and human characteristics.

Essay Topic 3

What is the difference between sympathy and empathy? Do you think Grendel's mother is a sympathetic or an empathetic character? Why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 493 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample