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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 poem is described by the author as "an antiquarian's delight"?

2. In what year were Wihtred's laws issued?

3. In what book are the "six so-called Elegies" found?

4. What does the author in the introduction to the Heroic Poems section state is the "finest expression of the code" (the Germanic Heroic code)?

5. According to the author, what did Anglo-Saxons fail to do for their poetry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were some laws of the Anglo-Saxon period never put into writing?

2. Why does the author of the introduction to "The Elegies" state that "The Ruin" is "an antiquarian's delight"?

3. What were the many reasons that Bede was renowned?

4. Why did Caedmon state that he left the feast and went to the stables?

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

6. What happened in 1104 regarding the opening of Cuthbert's coffin?

7. In what way were the histories and legends passed down during the Anglo-Saxon period?

8. Explain the procedure of lawsuits for Anglo-Saxons.

9. What is the Germanic Code?

10. What is the basis of all elegies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

For many years Latin was the only written language to exist for Anglo-Saxons. Why was it important for the common man to learn Latin? In what ways did the emergence of the English language benefit the Anglos? Which language did the text deem more important? Support your answer textually.

Essay Topic 2

What are three qualities of an elegy? Name the quality, give a textual example, and explain your choice. Why/how does the poem show the specific characteristics of an elegy?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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