medieval literature and culture MCQs – Page 8

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

medieval literature and culture Mcqs
141. Which of the following texts are associated with the alliterative revival ?
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A. The Dream of the Rood

B. The Wanderer

C. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

D. The Seafarer

142. Which of the following is the best example of a mystery play ?
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A. The Second Shepherds Play

B. The Dream of the Rood

C. The Wife of Baths Tale

D. The Knights Tale

143. Complete the following statement. Chaucer wrote his elegiac poem, The Book of the Duchess, to praise the young Duchess of Lancaster who tragically died of___________________?
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A. unrequited love for John of Gaunt.

B. drowning in the Thames.

C. the Black Plague.

D. childbirth.

144. Which of the following is not related to the term medievalism ?
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A. Enlightenment

B. Monasticism

C. Guildhouses

D. Feudalism

145. In Beowulf, what does the representation of Hrothgar suggest about rulers ?
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A. The ability to attract fellow warriors was a necessary attribute of power.

B. It was necessary for kings to fight in order to keep their power.

C. All of these answers

D. Kings often used generous gifts to recruit their followers.

146. In Everyman, which of the following provides the path to redemption in the afterlife ?
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A. Good deeds

B. Donations made to the monastery

C. Time spent in prayer

D. Faith

147. Which of the following texts provides the best example of the comitatus ethic ?
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A. Caedmons Hymn

B. The Canterbury Tales

C. The Battle of Maldon

D. The Dream of the Rood

148. Which of the following characters from The Canterbury Tales might represent the rising middle class of the 14th century ?
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A. The prioress

B. The merchant

C. The plowman

D. The knight

149. What does Chaucer write concerning the devastating effect of the Black Death upon English social, cultural, and economic life in The Canterbury Tales ?
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A. Chaucer wrote no direct descriptions.

B. The upper classes were burdened by their monopoly of scarce resources.

C. Priests died in great numbers.

D. Rent prices increased because of the market boom.

150. What is the verse form of Marie de Frances Lanval ?
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A. Dactylic pentameter

B. Heroic couplets

C. Octosyllabic couplets

D. Clerihew

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.