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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When does Hrothgar say he previously knew Beowulf?
(a) When Beowulf was a soldier in his army.
(b) Never.
(c) When Beowulf was a child.
(d) When Beowulf was an apprentice.

2. What attacked Beowulf while he was in the ocean with Breca?
(a) A pirate.
(b) Breca.
(c) A serpent.
(d) Sharks.

3. During their swimming competition, what separated Beowulf and Breca?
(a) The whales.
(b) Nothing.
(c) A ship.
(d) A north-easter storm.

4. What does Grendel want to do when he is first confronted by Beowulf?
(a) Flee to his lair.
(b) Kill Beowulf.
(c) Convince Beowulf not to kill him.
(d) Fight every man in the hall.

5. What instrument does the minstrel play while Beowulf and his men are in the hall?
(a) The violin.
(b) The flute.
(c) The harp.
(d) The piano.

6. For how many years had Grendel plagued Hrothgar?
(a) 12 years.
(b) 9 years.
(c) 3 years.
(d) 50 years.

7. Who stays awake waiting for Grendel while the other warriors sleep in the hall?
(a) Beowulf.
(b) Grendel's mother.
(c) Unferth.
(d) Hrothgar.

8. What does Beowulf do when the celebration after Grendel's defeat ends?
(a) Makes sure his men are fed.
(b) Leaves immediately for the lair of Grendel's mother.
(c) Seeks an audience with the queen.
(d) Sleeps.

9. What instruments are playing as the Queen enters the hall?
(a) Flutes.
(b) Harps.
(c) Drums.
(d) Trumpets.

10. What towered "high to reach heaven" and "strong to withstand the buffet of war?"
(a) The Catholic Church.
(b) Heorot.
(c) Grendel.
(d) Beowulf.

11. How long does Unferth say Beowulf wallowed at sea?
(a) 2 weeks.
(b) 7 days.
(c) 30 days.
(d) 2 days.

12. What does Beowulf do with his "grisly trophy" of Grendel's defeat?
(a) Throws it to the dogs.
(b) Nails it to the wall.
(c) Cooks and eats it.
(d) Throws it in the fire.

13. What did Beowulf and his men cross on their way to Heorot?
(a) The Red Sea.
(b) The Baltic Sea.
(c) The Pacific Ocean.
(d) The Jordan River.

14. How many men did Beowulf bring with him to Denmark?
(a) 50.
(b) 13.
(c) 5.
(d) 14.

15. What does Grendel hate the sound of?
(a) Men's voices.
(b) The harp.
(c) A warrior's battle cry.
(d) Snoring.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Hrothgar vow to treat Beowulf like after Grendel's defeat?

2. What does Grendel do with the men he takes from Heorot?

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

4. When Beowulf and his men reach Heorot, what are they heavy with?

5. What does Beowulf call Unferth's claims against him?

(see the answer keys)

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