View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many men does Grendel murder on his first attack on the mead-hall?

2. In "The Wanderer," from whom does the wanderer plead for pity and mercy?

3. How many lines is "The Battle of Maldon" missing at the beginning?

4. In "The Wife's Lament," where is the wife forced to live?

5. Why, according to Wihtred's law number 4, will foreigners be forced to "depart from the land with their goods and their sins"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the topic of the six "so-called Elegies"?

2. What were the two key relationships at the heart of Anglo-Saxon society?

3. What happened on Christmas day in 597 in Anglo-Saxon history?

4. What does Beowulf do right after killing Grendel's mother?

5. What two things is "The Battle of Maldon" concerned with in regard to theme?

6. What were some of the earliest codes found to survive from the kingdom of Kent (690-725)?

7. What is the Germanic Code?

8. To whom is Grendel related and why is this important?

9. What did one of King Edwin's men state were the differences between their time and the time of "which we have no knowledge"?

10. What was the order that needed to be followed to exact punishments and define laws during the Anglo-Saxon period?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Religion seemed to have saved the lives of many a seafaring man. Compare the religious thought in both "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer." How are the authors' thoughts similar? In what ways was religion necessary for survival?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Beowulf and Grendel. How do each epitomize good and evil?

Essay Topic 3

Exile was a main theme throughout Anglo-Saxon literature. What selection from the text best represents the theme of exile? Why? Be sure to use textual evidence.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 784 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample