Grendel's Mother and Beowulf

Five-Week Assessment
Fall 2008
12th Grade British Literature

Beowulf

1. Beowulf may have been first told by a scop who was a(n)
a. Traveling entertainer b. Monk c. Epic hero

2. Two conflicting codes in this poem are
a. Christian and pagan
b. Materialist and idealist
c. Political and spiritual

3. Beowulf sails to Denmark because
a. He wants to fight Grendel
b. Hrothgar invited him
c. A big reward was offered

4. Grendel is a descendant of
a. Satan b. Chaos c. Cain

5. Hrothgar once fought with
a. King Higlac
b. Beowulf’s father Edgethow
c. The king of the Wulfings

6. Beowulf kill Grendel’s mother with
a. A shaft of holy light
b. Her own son’s claw
c. A magical sword

7. Unlike Hrothgar, in his old age Beowulf seeks
a. A son figure
b. One last moment of glory
c. Wisdom

8. The dragon begins to attack the Geats because
a. A cup (golden challis) was stolen from its hoard
b. Its son was killed
c. God makes him punish the faithless Geats

9. This poem relates the adventures of the
a. Anglos and the Saxons
b. Celts and the Norsemen
c. Danes and the Geats

10. Herot is the home – Mead Hall (party hall) built by
a. Grendel b. Hrothgar c. Beowulf

11. Comitatus is
a. The bond between king and warrior
b. Christian charity
c. Courage in battle

12. When we first meet Beowulf, he appears
a. Calm and self-confident
b. Shy and uncertain
c. Boastful and rude

13. When Beowulf grabs Grendel’s hand, the monster
a. Immediately wants to escape
b. Breathes fire on the roof
c. Calls for his mother

14. Grendel’s mother kills
a. Hrothgar’s friend Esher (Ascher)
b. Beowulf’s son
c. Unferth

15. Hrothgar warns Beowulf against
a. Greed b. Pride c. Too much trust in God

16. Beowulf slays Grendel to
a. Save Hrothgar and the Danes from the monster
b. Prevent Grendel from invading the land of the Geats
c. Enhance Unferth’s reputation as a warrior
d. Carry off the treasure in Grendel’s lair