Beowulf Background Review

Where does the story of Beowulf take place?

• England

• Angle-land

• Scandinavia

• Germany

Beowulf was written during a period of history known as The Dark Ages.

• True

• False

The language of the Anglo-Saxons was

• Anglish

• Old English

• Middle English

• German

Archetypes can appear in literature with (check all that apply)

• characters

• settings

• situations (quests)

Which of the following is a reason Old English is impossible to read or translate without a cypher (check all that apply)?

• different alphabet

• different grammar rules

• different pronunciations

• different capitalization rules

What was the date of the Norman Conquest?

• 100 A.D.

• 349 B.C.

• 1492 A.D.

• 1066 A.D.

Answer explanation

This was an important date in English history marking the the introduction of Latin to the island of Britain. This lead to a dramatic change in the written and spoken language.

Which of the following are poetic techniques the Anglo-Saxons used and are present in the written version of Beowulf that survives to this day?

• alliteration

• kenning

• caesura

• All of the above

• Only kenning and caesura

Which of the following would be an example of "kenning"?

• river-road

• the big hill

• jumbo shrimp

• big belly burger

What is a defining characteristic of a legend?

• this genre explains natural phenomenon

• this genre details the adventures of heroes and gods

• this genre is often written in narrative verse

• this genre is based on a historical fact

Beowulf would best be considered an example of which genre?

• myth

• epic

• legend

Answer explanation

Beowulf is written in poetic verse, like all epics, and involves the adventures of a hero.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3