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medieval literature and culture MCQs

Practise focused medieval literature and culture questions with marked answers for exam preparation and subject revision.

medieval literature and culture Mcqs

1. Which of the following women is most closely associated with monastic life ?
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A. Marie de France

B. The Wife of Bath

C. Hildegard of Bingen

D. Christine de Pizan

2. Which of the following best characterize noble women in the Middle Ages ?
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A. they were expected to be religious role models

B. All of the Above

C. they ran the household

D. they were expected to fix problems in their husbands absence

3. Which of the following couples exemplify/ exemplifies courtly love ?
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A. All of the Above

B. Dante and Beatrice

C. Arthur and Guinevere

D. Lancelot and Guinevere

4. Which of the following most accurately explains the Bretons influence on medieval literature ?
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A. The Bretons roots were in the Celtic cultural tradition.

B. The Bretons represented prominent forces in the Norman invasion.

C. Breton literature had a profound effect on medieval literature in England.

D. All of these answers

5. How would you describe the phrase oralformulaic, as you learned it in this course ?
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A. As a device used to describe the flaws in the oral tradition

B. As a term associated only with religious written literature

C. As a technique that became popular after the invention of the printing press

D. As a method of composing stories in the oral tradition

6. What is the significance of the Green Knight ?
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A. He alludes to an ancient Anglo-Saxon ruler.

B. He suggests a continued tie with paganism.

C. He suggests the lack of knightly themes in Middle English poetry.

D. He represents the link with Celtic mythology.

7. Which literary device is most important structurally in The Book of the City of Ladies ?
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A. assonance

B. allegory

C. simile

D. litotes

8. Which of the following would most likely be the theme of a medieval romance ?
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A. A poem that features courtly love but denounces supernaturalism

B. The story of an English villages conversion to Christianity

C. A first-person story of the Norman invasion

D. The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden

9. Which best describes the work of a mystic ?
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A. the mystic uses a religious platform to promote equal rights for women

B. the mystic is primarily tasked with intellectual work within monasteries

C. the mystic is a visionary who experiences divine insight

D. the mystic usually works as a scribe

10. With which of the following genres is The Romance of the Rose most closely associated ?
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A. mysticism

B. medieval lay

C. hagiography

D. dream vision

11. In The Wife of Baths Tale, what is the significance of barley bread ?
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A. Barley bread provides an example of medieval estates satire.

B. Barley bread represents the wifes answer to the belief that virginity is superior to marriage.

C. Barley bread suggests the heroines state as a fallen woman.

D. Barley bread signifies Chaucers use of alliterative verse.

12. In the medieval Church, devotional acts _______________?
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A. were only performed by men

B. cancelled out punishment due to sin

C. were considered unimportant by mystics

D. depended entirely on literacy

13. How did courtly romances break down the virgin/whore dichotomy ?
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A. they redefined women as attainable vs unattainable, rather than virgin vs whore

B. they deemphasized the importance of chastity

C. they indicated that womens sexual conduct should not be classified by men

D. they rarely explored issues of sexuality, love, or romance

14. What was a Lollard ?
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A. a member of a sect that was considered heretical

B. a female mystic

C. an illiterate anchoress

D. a hero in a courtly romance

15. In the Middle Ages, which class of people was most likely to be literate ?
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A. working class women

B. peasants

C. working class men

D. monks

16. With which text is the theme of Christ as mother most closely associated ?
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A. The Book of Margery Kempe

B. Revelations of Divine Love

C. An Orison to Almighty God

D. The Wooing of Our Lord

17. How did travel at the time of the Crusades impact Western Europe ?
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A. All of the Above

B. merchants started to import rare silks and spices from new trade roots

C. architects from Western Europe were influenced by new Eastern styles

D. people brought tales of romance from different literary and cultural traditions back from their trips

18. What do most critics find notable about the virtues that Pizan highlights in her work ?
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A. she does not mention traditional virtues like piety

B. she values reason and activity instead of silence

C. All of the Above

D. she emphasizes practical rather than theological virtues

19. What are books of hours ?
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A. popular books before the invention of the printing press

B. books of prayers used at Christian Mass

C. private books of prayers to be recited throughout the day

D. books of information about the history of the Church

20. What is the gender fallacy ?
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A. the idea that noble women are more similar to men than peasant women are

B. the idea that woman cannot be as educated as men

C. the problem of a man writing as a woman

D. the notion that chastity is impossible for men

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