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50 questions
Who is Hrothgar?
The King of the Geats
The King of the Danes
The monster
Beowulf's brother
What does Grendel hate the sound of?
Warrior's battle cry
Snoring
Men's voices singing
The harp
One reason that the Danes have such a difficult time fighting Grendel is that
the Danes’ warriors are too old
Grendel hunts women
Grendel does not fight according to men’s rules
the warriors do not have enough gold for swords
Why do the swords of Beowulf’s men fail to harm Grendel?
The men have brought dull swords.
Beowulf refuses to let his men fight.
The men are too weak to fight Grendel.
Grendel has put a spell on their weapons.
Grendel finally shows fear when
he is held fast in Beowulf’s grip
Beowulf first approaches him
Beowulf’s men attack him
he runs back to his den
What does Grendel want to do when he is first confronted by Beowulf?
Kill Beowulf.
Flee to his lair.
Fight every man in the hall.
Convince Beowulf not to kill him
If you wanted to prove that Beowulf shows traits of being an epic hero in his fight with Grendel, which form(s) of evidence would you use?
“hell’s captive caught in the arms /Of him all the men on earth/Was the strongest”
“In his far-off home Beowulf…heard how Grendel filled nights with horror/and quickly commanded a boat…Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king”
Both A and B
“Hair, Hrothgar! Higlac is my cousin and my king”
What wound does Beowulf inflict on Grendel?
He rips Grendel's arm off.
He cuts off Grendel's leg.
He stabs Grendel through the heart with his sword.
He chops Grendel's head off.
In the scene that follows the fight with Grendel, who is brooding with grief and greedy for revenge?
Wiglaf.
Beowulf.
Grendel's mother.
Hrothgar.
10. What does Grendel's mother take off the wall in the hall?
Grendel's arm.
A sword
Tapestries.
An axe
11. Where is Beowulf when Grendel's mother arrives at Herot?
Ready to fight in the mead hall.
In the stable with his new horses.
Sleeping in his room.
With the King.
12. Who does Grendel's mother kill during the night and why does she choose this person?
Beowulf because she wanted to prove that the king would never be safe.
The queen because she is the king’s greatest love.
The king’s best man and friend because she wanted to seek revenge by choosing someone closest to him.
The king because the community is only as strong as its leader.
How does Hrothgar describe the lake?
Beautiful and peaceful
Ominous and free of any wildlife or human life
Full of wild animals and well-kept
Dark and hell-like
14. Reread these lines of this Old English poetry. Which impression of the monsters do the alliteration and simile in these lines help convey?
“They lived in secret places, windy/Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours from the rocks…where mist/Steams like black clouds…snakelike roots…at night that lake/ Burns like a torch.”
Secret creatures live in a watery world that no one has ever seen.
They are as dark, mysterious, and hell-like.
Those who seek the monsters will either freeze or burn.
Monsters are hidden from human eyes and wisdom by huge cliffs.
What mood does the author’s description of the lake produce?
Happy
Calming
Ominous
Crazed
How does the fight in the lake contrast with the fight with Grendel?
Beowulf uses weapons in the lake and the opponent doesn’t show fear
Beowulf uses weapons in the lake and the opponent shows fear
Beowulf doesn’t use any weapons because they are all useless against both monsters
Beowulf doesn’t use any weapons, but the opponent does.
What is Hrunting?
Grendel's mother's hall.
Hrothgar's hall.
Beowulf's sword.
A shield.
18. If you wanted to prove that Beowulf shows traits of being an epic hero in his fight with Grendel’s Mother, which form(s) of evidence would you use?
“But Beowulf longed for fame…so fame comes to the men who mean to win it”
“And in an instant she held him down, help helpless”
“Fate will unwind as it must”
Both A and C
19. What does Grendel's mother use to try to kill Beowulf?
Beowulf's sword.
Grendel’s sword.
Her bare hands just as Beowulf had done with Grendel.
A dagger.
20. What saves Beowulf's life from Grendel's mother's near-fatal attack?
His bare skin.
His mailcoat.
Hrunting.
His warriors.
. Where does Beowulf see a "tremendous sword" in the lair of Grendel's mother?
On a table.
At her side.
On the wall.
In the armory.
Who forged the tremendous sword that is in Grendel's mother's lair?
Magicians.
Grendel's mother.
Grendel.
Giants of olden time.
How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother?
He strangles her.
He throws her to the sea serpents.
He cuts off her head.
He stabs her through the heart
What does Beowulf do when he sees Grendel's body in the lair?
Weeps.
Leaves the body untouched.
Burns the body.
Cuts off Grendel's head.
As the last section begins, how long has Beowulf reigned as king?
100 years
50 years
10 years
5 years
What does the dragon hoard and how does his show symbolism?
Gold and treasures that show symbolism of fame
Gold and treasures that show symbolism of pride
Gold and treasures that show symbolism of faith
Gold and treasures that show symbolism of greed
When the dragon wakes, what is missing from his treasure?
A chest of gold.
A body of man he killed
A pile of cash
A golden goblet
How does Beowulf wish he could fight the dragon?
With the giant's sword.
With his bare hands as he fought Grendel.
He doesn't wish to fight at all.
With Hrunting.
What two literary devices are used in these lines: “That famous prince fought with fate against him”
Kenning and analogy
Kenning and simile
Alliteration and foreshadowing
Alliteration and Caesura
What does Beowulf say that even kings must bow to?
A dragon.
Other kings.
Hell
Fate
What do most of Beowulf's warriors do when they see he is losing the battle with the dragon?
Fall to their knees and pray.
Cry into their Scandinavian beards
Run away.
Rush in to help.
Who is Wiglaf?
Beowulf's son.
The dragon's child.
The dragon.
A close kinsman of Beowulf.
What does Wiglaf do when he sees Beowulf faltering in his fight with the dragon?
Rushes to show that he is the new hero.
Runs away.
Rushes to Beowulf's aid.
Cries into this Scandinavian beard.
What does Wiglaf represent?
The savior of the story.
The antagonist of the story.
The representation of the value of kinship.
The representation of the value biological brothers
What is Beowulf’s flaw?
His desire to live forever.
His desire to retire early.
His greed for money.
His greed for fame.
What does the wound Beowulf receives from the dragon do?
Turn into gold.
Causes a fatal wound.
Causes a nonfatal wound.
Heal miraculously.
Who or what kills Beowulf?
The Dragon.
Wiglaf.
Old age.
Grendel's mother.
What does Beowulf ask Wiglaf to bring to him before he dies?
His warriors.
The dragon's treasure.
His son.
The dragon's head.
When Beowulf describes how he wants to be remembered this shows
Humbleness
Bravery
Self- importance
All of the above
What does Beowulf give Wiglaf before he dies?
His blessing and all of the gold for himself.
Nothing.
His gold chain and new title.
A sword.
What does Wiglaf do to the chosen warriors after Beowulf's death?
Commends them for a good fight.
Rewards them with treasure.
Banishes them.
Kills them.
Beowulf asks Wiglaf to be the next leader because Wiglaf
defeats the dragon alone
asks to be the Geats’ next leader
stands with Beowulf to fight the dragon
shows more strength when Beowulf turns into a coward
What does Wiglaf’s fighting the dragon tell you about the importance of honor in the Anglo-Saxon period?
A warrior protects his king even at the risk of his own life.
Courage is knowing when an enemy’s threat is too great.
A king’s greatness is measured by how much his people love him.
Fighting to the death is the only way to be immortalized
What do the alliteration and kenning in these lines of this Old English poem help convey?
“The he saw/ The mighty water witch, and swung his sword,/His ring-marked blade, straight at her head;”
the supernatural qualities of each opponent.
EJ's iron will
the fierceness and power of the attack of Rett
Aj's worthiness as an opponent.
.”[He] ran out with their bodies, / The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his lair…”
What is a lair?
a monster’s revenge
a hero’s welcome
a wild animal’s den
a wild animal’s revenge
“The infamous killer fought for his freedom, / wanting no flesh but retreat”
What does infamous mean?
A. creating a celebrity status for good works
B. having a bad reputation
C. showing a strong will
D. losing few followers
creating a celebrity status for good works
having a bad reputation
showing a strong will
losing few followers
“That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall…”
To purge something is to:
explain its origin
bring something closer
place similar items near it
get rid of something undesirable
Which universal theme do these lines of this epic suggest?
“Though he lived in Herot, when the night hid him, he never/Dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious/Throne, protected by God—God,/Whose love Grendel could not know.”
Mankind’s enemy will always continue his crimes by killing.
Evil is bloodthirsty, and it constantly tries to conquer kings.
The existence of evil and good occur simultaneously.
No one is ever truly safe.
Which is a universal theme in the epic Beowulf?
Kingdoms survive and prosper through warfare.
There will always be another kingdom to help.
Real dragons and monsters await everyone.
A good leader is brave and fearless.
Which is another universal theme in the epic Beowulf?
Evil always wins.
A real superhero will always save the day.
Evil is represented as something trying to destroy what the people of the time value
all of the above.
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