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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the bull attack Grendel?
(a) All animals hate Grendel.
(b) Its calf is close by.
(c) It is hungry.
(d) Grendel tried to kill it.

2. How long are the dragon's talons?
(a) A foot long.
(b) Man-length.
(c) Tree size.
(d) Short and stubby.

3. How do the men treat Grendel when he brings the corpse to them in Chapter 4?
(a) They do not see him.
(b) They welcome him.
(c) They thank him.
(d) They attack him.

4. Grendel compares the ram to what?
(a) A slow-witted king.
(b) Himself.
(c) His mother.
(d) The Shaper.

5. What color does the narrator say Hrothgar's beard is?
(a) Red.
(b) Hoarfrost.
(c) White.
(d) Blonde.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Grendel’s only friend?

2. How does Grendel avoid the bull in Chapter 2?

3. The dragon's great ambition is to do what?

4. What is the downside of Grendel's new power?

5. Who is the woman that Grendel killed long ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do snakes symbolize in the novel?

2. Describe the firesnakes. What sort of creature do you think they are?

3. Why is Grendel drawn to and repulsed by Hrothgar's great hall?

4. What does Grendel hope his mother will tell him someday? Why doesn't she?

5. Describe life around the village as Grendel observes it.

6. Discuss the significance of Grendel's speech about heroes existing only in poetry.

7. How does Grendel's existence hinge on Hrothgar's survival?

8. Describe the hairless man and his function in the group.

9. Discuss Grendel's personal transformation during and as a result of his first raid.

10. Why do you think Grendel chooses to spare Unferth in his cave and on subsequent raids?

(see the answer keys)

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