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

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of boat to Beowulf and his men sail away from Denmark in?

2. What does Grendel's mother take off the wall in the hall?

3. How does Hrothgar describe the Grendel lake?

4. When Beowulf reaches the bank of the lake, what does he do?

5. Who promises to come with "a thousand spears and a thousand shields" if the other should be attacked?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hrothgar serves to magnify Beowulf's heroism. In what ways does he do this? What are the aspects of his personality or the actions he takes that show the reader how truly heroic Beowulf is?

Essay Topic 2

After the defeat of the dragon, Beowulf's people are left in despair at the loss of their king rather than joyous at the defeat of the dragon. What do you think this reaction symbolizes?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining what an epic poem is and how this story fits into that definition. What characteristics of an epic does it have? Are there elements of an epic that are missing?

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This section contains 248 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample