medieval literature and culture Mcqs
151. What is the significance of the dreamer in The Dream of the Rood ?
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A. The dreamer is an example of the superstition of paganism.

B. The dreamer is a relic from before the Christian conversion.

C. The dreamer functions as an example of the comitatus ethic.

D. The dreamer has a special hope for salvation.
152. What was historically significant about Chretien de Troyes Yvain, le Chevalier au Lion ?
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A. He separated Arthurian legend from tales of courtly love.

B. He recast the history of Arthur into the romance genre.

C. He dropped the supernatural theme found in Arthurian legend.

D. He was the first to discuss the Knights of the Round Table.

153. Beowulf introduces the reader to the life of a thegn. Which of the following best describes the role of the thegn ?
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A. The thegn is an Anglo-Saxon lord who partakes in the comitatus ethic.

B. The thegn is a class of protocapitalism opposed to the guild system.

C. The thegn is a warrior who pays money in exchange for exemption from military service.

D. The thegn is a warrior who has sworn his loyalty to an Anglo-Saxon lord.
154. How does The Cross, as speaker, portray Jesus in The Dream of the Rood ?
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A. As the ransom God demands for the sins of humanity

B. As a special Jewish teacher

C. As the suffering Christ

D. As the heroic noble warrior
155. In Lanval, how does Marie de France represent King Arthur ?
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A. As a modest ruler who defended his own borders

B. As someone who broken the tradition of offering lavish gifts to his supporters

C. As a historical figure with whom her audience is largely unfamiliar

D. As a warrior king

156. Which text is an example of a poem structured as a vision to convey the theme of salvation ?
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A. The Wanderer

B. The Battle of Maldon

C. The Seafarer

D. The Dream of the Rood
157. The Battle of Maldon describes which historical event ?
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A. The defeat of the English at the hands of the Vikings in 991

B. The Second Crusade in the 12thcentury

C. The First Crusade in the 11th-century

D. The Norman Conquest in 1066

158. Which of the following lines provides an example of alliterative verse ?
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A. doughty in theire doings and dredde ay schame

B. her biginneth the earste boc of ures ant ureisuns the gode beoth to seggen

C. I left my lands to come where you are/To find you I have come so far!

D. The knight took a step toward/The maiden she called him forward

159. Which of the following best defines mysticism ?
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A. The dream connection between the two sexes

B. The human souls tendency towards intimate union with the divine

C. A literary genre written mainly in the Anglo-Saxon era

D. The separation between humanity and divinity

160. Arthur, the good King of Britainheld a rich and royal court ?
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A. This line suggests that good kings are rewarded by God.

B. This line suggests that Britain was the most important place in the medieval world.

C. This line suggests that Arthur was beloved by the English, because he was good.

D. This line suggests the elegance necessary for the feudal king to display being at the top of the economic hierarchy.
161. Why is the presence of the comitatus ethic in Beowulf significant ?
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A. The comitatus ethic represents a culture in which rulers had no responsibilities to their citizens.

B. The comitatus ethic represents the shift from a nomadic to a more organized social structure.

C. The comitatus ethic shows a historical return to older types of political organization.

D. The comitatus ethic is evidence of a period in which behavior was guided by Christian ethics.

162. In The Wanderer, what is the speakers primary conflict ?
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A. The speakers spiritual regression with the increasing trend of Christian conversions

B. The desire for a more advanced world with stagnant social progress

C. The folly of earthly things with the wisdom of heaven

D. The desire to travel in search of wisdom with the social conventions

163. Which of the following texts provides the best example of medieval estates satire ?
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A. The Book of Margery Kempe

B. Piers Plowman

C. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

D. The Canterbury Tales
164. What is problematic about calling Beowulf part of Old English literature ?
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A. The epic poem is written in a language that is unrecognizable to many English speakers.

B. There are no English characters in the poem.

C. Danish and German scholars first claimed the poem.

D. There is no firm concept of when English literature began.

165. Which of the following factors helped create a solidified British political identity ?
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A. The translation of Latin religious and historical works in vernacular traditions

B. The shift away from individual petty kingdoms to central rule under King Alfred

C. All of these answers

D. Efforts to revive learning

166. In Beowulf, what is the significance of wergild ?
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A. Wergild relates to the concept of wyrd.

B. Wergild is connected to the idea that bloodshed leads to more bloodshed.

C. Wergild contributes to the claustrophobic, doom-laden atmosphere.

D. All of these answers
167. What is the significance of Sutton Hoo ?
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A. Sutton Hoo gives more information about the society that created Beowulf.

B. Sutton Hoo provides architectural evidence from a virtually unexplored period of history.

C. Sutton Hoo provides insight into the conversion from paganism to Christianity.

D. All of these answers
168. What is the significance of the line: Fate is established! in The Wanderer ?
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A. The line suggests that the speaker is comfortably settled.

B. The line describes the optimistic attitude of the speaker.

C. The line suggests that fate plays an irrevocable role in human affairs

D. The Wanderer is a poem about fatal endings.

169. In Yvain, le Chevalier au Lion, what is the significance of trouthe ?
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A. Trouthe emphasizes the positive side of feudalism.

B. Trouthe represents the supernatural aspects of the medieval romance.

C. Trouthe suggests the imminent return to a pre-feudal social organization.

D. m paganism to Christianity.

E. Trouthe alludes to the British conversion

170. In Beowulf, what is the significance of the term whale-road ?
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A. The term represents the comitatus ethic.

B. The term is an example of caesura.

C. The term is an example of kenning.

D. The term is an allusion to Beowulfs golden torque.

171. Which of the following themes is not explored in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ?
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A. Sexual purity

B. Conversion to Christianity

C. Feudal loyalty

D. The knightly ideal

172. What is the significance of the phrase protecting the heart from Acrene Wisse ?
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A. The phrase involves becoming a nunin order to escape the bad influence of men.

B. The phrase refers to anchoresses responsibility to defend other Christians.

C. The phrase suggests that women should safeguard their spirituality through total withdrawal from the world.

D. The phrase is considered one of the positive effects of prayer.

173. Why was Acrene Wisse written in the vernacular language ?
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A. The audience was partially lay-women with little knowledge of Latin.

B. English was a more commonly used language in the Church.

C. Women were more educated, so they knew more languages.

D. The audience was likely unable to read French.

174. Which of the following characteristics are not essential to knightly chivalry as described by Chretien de Troyes ?
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A. The knight is dedicated to his feudal lord.

B. The knight is religious.

C. The knight is blond, tall, and elegant.

D. The knight is submissive to his lad.

176. Which of the following best defines caesura ?
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A. Giving inanimate objects human qualities

B. A metaphorical compound

C. The image used to share qualities in a metaphor or simile

D. A pause or break in a line of poetry
177. Which of the following best describes how Bede was a typical Christian of his time ?
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A. He combined zealous Christianity with English patriotism.

B. He believed that English Christians needed to move to a New Israel.

C. He did not believe that Christianity was an essential part of English culture.

D. He thought that England was a pagan wilderness.

178. Why is Caedmons Hymn important in the history of Old English literature ?
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A. The poem is widely believed to be the first written poem in Old English.

B. The poems theme of alienation becomes familiar to Anglo-Saxon poetry.

C. The poem illustrates Caedmons erudition and scholarship.

D. The poem could be easily sung in all churches and was widely accepted.

179. Which of the following best defines alliterative verse ?
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A. An Anglo-Saxon form written in iambic pentameter with traditional rhymes

B. A form brought to England in the years during the Norman invasion

C. A traditional form with repeated consonant sounds

D. A popular form in the 9th and 10th centuries

180. Which of the following is not a major category of the romance genre ?
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A. The Matter of Germany

B. The Matter of England

C. The Matter of Britain

D. The Matter of Rome

181. What is the primary purpose of Chetien de Troyes medieval romances ?
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A. To sway audiences away from reading tales of courtly love

B. To inform illiterate readers about Arthurian legend

C. To convert readers to Christianity through positive examples

D. To reconcile the heros responsibilities in love and wars
182. How is the lai similar to a medieval romance ?
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A. Both include stacked tales in a single sequential narrative.

B. Both have courtly love as their central theme.

C. Both are designed in an episodic manner.

D. Both are usually intended to be sung as hymns.

183. The home of Chaucers royal patron and friend, John of Gaunt, was burned duringthe Peasants Revolt of 138. What events led to this revolt ?
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A. All of these answers

B. The high rates of the poll tax were considered unfair.

C. Peasants were jointly united against the pattern of upper-class harassments

D. Government policies were incorrectly based on the idea that the rich would help the poor survive.

184. The Second Shepherds Play is part of which play cycle ?
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A. Cornish cycle

B. Wakefield cycle

C. Roman cycle

D. York cycle

185. Which of the following accurately describes the way in which the comitatus ethic is represented in Beowulf, The Seafarer, and The Wanderer ?
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A. As an economic system of rewards used to ensure warriors reliability

B. All of these answers

C. As a mutually beneficial relationship between rulers and warriors

D. As a pre-feudal power structure based on the distribution of economic and military resources

186. Why is the Battle of Hastings relevant to the development of Middle English ?
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A. All of these answers

B. Eventually English was reestablished, deeply influenced by Norman French.

C. For a time, England became a country with two languages.

D. English as a language of the kings court was replaced by Norman French.

187. In Acrene Wisse, the mission of the anchorite was justified through what purpose ?
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A. To pray

B. To withdraw and meditate upon God

C. To preach

D. To serve the church

188. Which of the following statements best characterizes the work of early monks in shaping future medieval church life ?
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A. All of these answers

B. They were promoters of the monastic life.

C. They were extremely charismatic.

D. They wanted to move from the basics of Christian faith to a full Christian life.

189. Which of the following best defines wergild ?
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A. The image used to share qualities in a metaphor or simile

B. Giving inanimate objects human qualities

C. A metaphorical compound

D. A reparational payment demanded of a person guilty of homicide
190. Which of the following genres applies to Langlands Piers Plowman ?
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A. Social satire

B. All of these answers

C. Allegory

D. Dream vision

192. In Chaucers The Millers Tale, why would the millers determination to speak following the knight appear unsettling to the 14th century audience ?
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A. The miller was far beneath the knight in social order, so the miller should have deferred to the person who ranked above him.

B. The knight had not finished his tale.

C. The miller did not ask politely.

D. A member of the clergy should have spoken next.

193. What was the primary function of The Rule of Saint Benedict ?
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A. The Rule of Saint Benedict explained the new architectural style.

B. The Rule of Saint Benedict was the first example of poetry written in the vernacular language.

C. The Rule of Saint Benedict offered an early example of dream poetry.

D. The Rule of Saint Benedict standardized monasticism.
194. Which of the following is not a characteristic of Old English ?
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A. Alliteration

B. Romance

C. Caesura

D. Personification