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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 say his spears are made of?

2. Who do the Danes honor the one man in Beowulf's party who was killed by Grendel?

3. After Grendel's defeat, what do the Danes decorate the hall with?

4. What towered "high to reach heaven" and "strong to withstand the buffet of war?"

5. What does Grendel want to do when he is first confronted by Beowulf?

Short Essay Questions

1. What item lights Beowulf's way as he dives through the Grendel lake?

2. Why does Grendel retreat to his lair after battling with Beowulf?

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

4. What happens when Beowulf strikes the dragon with his sword?

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

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

7. What is Wiglaf armed with?

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

9. Why does the dragon wake up?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

Why isn't Hrothgar able to defeat Grendel without the aid of Beowulf? Formulate a theory and use examples from the book to support your theory.

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This section contains 519 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample