medieval literature and culture MCQs – Page 3

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

medieval literature and culture Mcqs
41. In the context of Medieval literature, what does the term mystical marriage mean ?
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A. it is a spiritual union with God

B. it is a union between anchorites

C. it is a union supported by the Church

D. it is a mystical union between two people

42. Which is/are typical of the supernatural in medieval romance ?
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A. spells

B. enchantment

C. All of the Above

D. fairy trickery

43. What does the term monasticism mean ?
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A. Non of these

B. it describes the importance of communication with others in order to reach salvation

C. it describes a form of worship based on praying to devotional art

D. it describes a way of life that became popular after the Middle Ages

44. Why did Catherine of Siena refuse to marry a husband ?
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A. she wanted to make a political statement against the Church

B. she was concerned about loss of property

C. she claimed she was already married to God

D. she said that the institution was too flawed

45. Which is the best example of the double standard that exists in tales of courtly love ?
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A. men are represented as immoral while women are always presented as chaste

B. men are allowed to boast about their affairs, while women must keep them secret

C. women are always villains, while men are always heroes

D. women are always involved in supernatural plots while mens storylines tend to be more realistic

46. In the context of Medieval literature, what does outer rule mean ?
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A. it refers to anchoress everyday behavior

B. it includes issues that pertain to the heart

C. it is part of the anchoress inner self

D. it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse

47. How did lay literacy affect traditional devotional practices ?
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A. people stopped reading the Bible

B. interest in the Church history declined rapidly

C. people could be religious without the help of a clergy

D. people increasingly turned to visual art in order to learn about religion

48. How do the themes of Marie de Frances Lanval and Chretien de Troyes Yvain compare ?
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A. Both use the comitatus ethic to explain their heros motivations.

B. Both include references toWilliam the Conqueror.

C. Both include the theme of broken promises between lovers.

D. Both feature mentions of the conversion from paganism.

49. What is the authorship controversy as it relates to Heloise and Abelard ?
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A. the issue of whether there is a female voice in the letters

B. the idea that Abelard wrote all of the letters

C. All of the Above

D. the critical debate about the verification of events in the letters

50. In the Middle Ages, how did society treat prostitution ?
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A. All of the Above

B. prostitution was considered problematic but legal

C. prostitution was considered a solution to epidemics of rape

D. the Church opposed prostitution on moral grounds

51. Which event(s) characterized the Middle Ages ?
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A. All of the Above

B. falling birth rates

C. financial deficits from increased military expenditures

D. invasions from barbarian tribes

52. In the context of Medieval literature, what does inner rule mean ?
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A. it is part of the anchoress inner self

B. All of the Above

C. it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse

D. it includes issues that pertain to the heart

53. Between which movements do historians situate literature in the Middle Ages ?
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A. Roman departure and the Renaissance

B. Romanticism and the Enlightenment

C. English Reformation and Elizabethan Age

D. Civil war and the Restoration

54. Identify the speaker of these lines: sweet Jesus, Jesus love ?
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A. Julian of Norwich

B. Margery Kempe

C. Catherine of Siena

D. Christine de Pizan

55. To whom were The Lais of Marie de France dedicated ?
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A. King Alfred

B. King Richard

C. King Arthur

D. King Henry
56. According to Pizan, what is the most important element in a womans quest for equality ?
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A. secular political activity

B. piety

C. education

D. chastity

57. How was Christine de Pizan a unique female writer for her time ?
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A. she was the only woman to work in the oral tradition

B. she wrote in order to support herself

C. she was the first female mystic

D. she was the only woman to write medieval lays

58. What is scholasticism as it relates to the medieval era ?
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A. All of the Above

B. a period of educational activity

C. a period in which philosophers attempted to reconcile philosophy with religion

D. a period associated with the Carolingian Renaissance

59. Which are examples of devotional acts ?
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A. charitable donations

B. All of the Above

C. pilgrimages

D. prayers on the sinners behalf

60. Which of the following characterized court life in the Middle Ages ?
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A. All of the Above

B. recitations by poets

C. games

D. knightly tournaments