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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. What does Beowulf do with his "grisly trophy" of Grendel's defeat?

2. What is the name of Hrothgar's queen?

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

4. How long does Unferth say Beowulf wallowed at sea?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Rather than Beowulf being the one to call for help when he and Breca were in the ocean, what does Beowulf say actually happened?

2. Why does Grendel attack Heorot?

3. How does Beowulf plan to show Unferth what courage is?

4. Where was the "tremendous sword" forged and who forged it?

5. Who does the dragon live in a burial mound?

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

7. Why does Grendel attack Heorot at night?

8. What spoils does Grendel's mother take with her from Heorot?

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

10. What does Beowulf do while he's traveling to the dragon's den?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Why is Grendel's mother's lair so much like Heorot? What is the significant difference between the two?

Essay Topic 3

The foes Beowulf faces represent three emotions that sometimes result in violence. What are those emotions? Which foe represents each of these emotions? How do they represent the emotion? What actions do they take and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 443 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample