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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 do the king and queen wait patiently to happen in Chapter 10?

2. Why is Wealtheow not immediately allowed in the hall with the strangers?

3. Who helps the Stranger fight Grendel in Chapter 12?

4. In what year of Grendel's wars does Hrothgar's power begin to fail?

5. What is Grendel's law?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the Danes respond to the arrival of the Geats?

2. Describe Grendel's reaction to the Strangers. How does he feel about the lead Stranger?

3. Compare the bowsman hunting the hart to the priest coming to Grendel in the ring of gods.

4. What is the relationship between Hrothgar and Wealtheow? Are they a happy couple?

5. In Chapter 12, discuss Grendel's interpretation of why his mother does not answer him as he calls for her while fighting the Stranger.

6. What do Wealtheow's words to the sleeping Hrothulf mean?

7. What similarities do you see between the brief account of Finn and Hnaef and Hrothgar and Wealtheow's brother?

8. The goat invading the mere can be seen as a symbol and foreshadowing. What does the goat stand for?

9. Discuss the people's view of religion after years of Grendel's oppression.

10. Discuss the priests' reaction to Ork's tale of speaking with the Great Destroyer.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Grendel's relationship with his mother when he is young. How does she treat him? How does this affect his adulthood? How does their relationship shift as he grows older?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss Hrothgar's rise to power. What did it do to the land? How did it alter the outlying villages? How are Hrothgar’s subjects’ lives changed?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of the dragon. Why did the author use this particular creature to teach Grendel? Do you find the scenes with the dragon necessary? Does the dragon's intelligence reduce Grendel to the level of the bull he mocked earlier?

(see the answer keys)

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