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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who do the Danes honor the one man in Beowulf's party who was killed by Grendel?
(a) By re-naming the hall after him.
(b) They do not honor him.
(c) With a song by the minstrel.
(d) With a poem in his honor.

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

3. How many serpents did Beowulf slay in his story of the swimming competition between he and Breca's?
(a) 2.
(b) 15.
(c) 10.
(d) 6.

4. After Grendel's defeat, what do the Danes decorate the hall with?
(a) Golden embroidery.
(b) Tapestries depicting the battle.
(c) Dragon scales.
(d) Pictures of Beowulf.

5. As Beowulf and his men march to Heorot, what glares from their helmets?
(a) A wolf's head.
(b) A boar's head.
(c) A stag's head.
(d) A lion's head.

6. What are Hrothgar and his warriors doing when Grendel first enters Heorot?
(a) Sleeping.
(b) Feasting.
(c) Arguing.
(d) Dancing.

7. When Beowulf and his men reach Heorot, what are they heavy with?
(a) Too much food.
(b) Weariness.
(c) Gifts for the King.
(d) Gold.

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

9. What wound does Beowulf inflict on Grendel?
(a) He rips Grendel's arm off.
(b) He chops Grendel's head off.
(c) He stabs Grendel through the heart with his sword.
(d) He cuts off Grendel's leg.

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

11. Where does Beowulf say he and his men are from?
(a) England.
(b) Sweden.
(c) Denmark.
(d) Germany.

12. What does Hrothgar vow to treat Beowulf like after Grendel's defeat?
(a) His son.
(b) A general.
(c) A king.
(d) His brother.

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

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

15. Who tells Beowulf that Grendel can only be defeated by bare hands?
(a) Grendel's mother.
(b) Unferth.
(c) Hrothgar.
(d) Wealhtheow.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Beowulf say his spears are made of?

2. What did Beowulf and his men cross on their way to Heorot?

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

4. What does Grendel hate the sound of?

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

(see the answer keys)

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