Beowulf Quiz (Knowledge and Comprehension with some Analysis)

Beowulf Quest Name:_____________________________

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word or phrase.

Danes Beowulf Hrothgar Grendel’s mother Unferth Esher Hrunting Wiglaf a slave Higlac Geats the dragon

Grendel terrorized the Danes inside ___ (1. place) for ___ (2. number) years.

___ (3. character) is king of the Danes.

___ (4. character) is a failed Danish warrior who at first questions Beowulf’s heroism but later gives him a sword to help him battle Grendel’s mother.

___ (5.) is hung from the rafters of the hall.

___ (6. character) is Hrothgar’s friend and advisor who is killed by ___ (7. character).

___ (8. sword’s name) fails Beowulf when he fights Grendel’s mother.

After Beowulf chopped it off, it took four Geats to carry ___ (9.) back to the hall.

After the Geat king, ___ (10. character), and his sons die, ___ (11. character) becomes king of the Geats and rules for ___ (12. number) years.

___ (13. character) steals a chalice (a gold cup) and angers ____ (14. character).

___ (15. character) fights along side Beowulf when the other Geats ___ (16. verb) from the dragon.

___ (17. character) kills Beowulf.

With ___ (18. character)’s help ___ (19. character) kills the dragon.

Beowulf asks ___ (20. character) to build him ___ (21. structure) when he dies.

___ (22. group of people) lived in present day southern Sweden.

___ (23. group of people) lived (and continue to live) in what is present day Denmark.

Write down the letter that precedes the word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence.

24. In the end Beowulf ___
A. wants to be remembered for his heroic deeds B. gives Wiglaf valuable gifts
C. wants Wiglaf to lead the Geats D. all of the above E. none of the above

25. Beowulf is ___.
A. a short story B. a play C. a novel D. an epic poem

26. Beowulf was written in ___.
A. Danish B. Geatish C. modern English D. Anglo-Saxon

27. Beowulf was probably written by ___ between ___ .
A. a pagan…700 and 1000 B.C. (B.C.E.) B. a monk…700 and 1000 A.D. (C.E.)
C. Hrothgar’s advisor…700 and 1000 B.C. (B.C.E.) D. Shakespeare…1590 and 1600 A.D. (C.E.)





28. ___ is characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon hero.
A. Acceptance of fate whether success or death
B. A letter in the middle of his mail shirt and a cape on his back
C. A dislike of bragging or boasting
D. Arriving hidden in the night
E. None of the above

Fill in the blank with the vocabulary word that best matches the definition given.


29. ____________________: relief from grief or anxiety

30. ____________________: armor of linked rings

31. ____________________: fermented water, honey, malt, yeast

32. ____________________: Old English poet, bard

33. ____________________: guard, watchman

34. ____________________: chief supporting force, tendon

35. ____________________: pain, suffering, distress

Choose the vocabulary word that best describes the literary technique or concept indicated by the quotation or title. (Letters can be used more than once. Some letters may not be used.)

36. ___ ___ (two letters)“Fate will unwind as it must” A. Alliteration
B. Caesura
37. ___ ___ (two letters) “. . . Loud in the hall, the harp’s rejoicing” C. Epic
D. Kenning
38. ___ “mead hall” “swan-road” E. Wyrd
F. Scop

39. Briefly explain (in a few sentences) how the behavior of each of the three main monsters in the Beowulf epic exemplifies a different aspect of human nature.
40. Briefly (in a few sentences) explain how the last episode of the poem—Beowulf, the Geats, and the dragon—might be interpreted as a commentary on heroic and non-heroic behavior.