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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. What is an adder?
(a) A singer.
(b) A fish.
(c) A tree.
(d) A snake.

2. Who is Grendel’s only friend?
(a) His mother.
(b) The firesnakes.
(c) Bones.
(d) His shadow.

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

4. What do the villagers at the disposal of the bodies do in the end of Chapter 1?
(a) They sing.
(b) They weep.
(c) They kneel.
(d) They eat.

5. How many tribes does Hrothgar make treaties with?
(a) Four.
(b) One.
(c) Six.
(d) Five.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the workers replacing after Grendel’s attack in Hrothgar’s Hall in Chapter 1?

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

3. Why is Unferth so weak?

4. What does Grendel ultimately do to the outlawed men?

5. What does Grendel do to Hrothgar's guard that attacks him in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What entices Grendel to Hrothgar's hall? Why is a part of him swept up in the merriment?

2. Describe how the men act/talk in the mead halls. What is the function of this behavior?

3. Does Grendel have delusions about his own intelligence?

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

5. How does the story of Finn foreshadow what could happen with Hrothgar's truces with Hygmod and Ingeld?

6. How does Grendel's meeting with the dragon help him define his role in the world of men?

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

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

9. Describe the arrangement between Hrothgar and his closest neighbors.

10. How do Grendel's emotions play into his role as narrator?

(see the answer keys)

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