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Quiz about Medieval Literature Old English
Quiz about Medieval Literature Old English

Medieval Literature: Old English Quiz


The topic of this quiz is English literature composed between 450 AD and 1066 AD. Much of it would have been written originally in Old English or Latin.

A multiple-choice quiz by alaspooryoric. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
352,534
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
870
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 82 (6/10), NewBestFriend (9/10), Guest 188 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. According to Seamus Heaney's translation of this long narrative poem, the hero of the tale advises, "Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning". What hero speaks these words to a king after the mother of a monstrous giant seeks vengeance for the death of her son? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What elegiac poem found in the "Exeter Book" from around AD 975 is about a warrior who was once part of a band of fighters, but who is now lost and lamenting the death of his king and friend, the transitory nature of existence, and his lack of purpose? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What English Abbot of Eynsham, Oxfordshire, is remembered for his "Lives of the Saints", his homilies, his translations of the Bible, and for his religious commentary, such as his "Preface to Genesis", in which he expressed his hesitation to translate Old Testament books for fear that people would live according to the "Old Law of Moses" rather than the "New Law of Christ"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What is the title of the remnant of an Old English poem written about a battle that occured in England on August 11, A.D. 991, between Viking raiders and the men of Essex who were led by the heroic Englishman Byrhtnoth? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This Old English scholar wrote a number of lyrical poems, including "Farewell to His Cell" during which the speaker of the poem is drawn by the beauty of nature but concludes that he must reject the transitory physical world as a prisoner might reject his cell. Who was this man who also accepted Charlemagne's invitation to be the head of his Palace School and later the Abbot of St. Martin's at Tours? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which king of England, the only one ever to receive the epithet of "the Great", is celebrated for, among many other accomplishments, his push for literacy in England and for his own writing and important English translations of such Latin works as the "Cura Pastoralis", which became a standard manual on the conduct of the priesthood for centuries? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What Old English poem, sometimes referred to as "The Soul's Voyage", is named after the main character, who begins his evaluation of his life with these words: "I have known my ship as a cell of pain / On a sharp choppy sea. Often my stand / Was the bow of the boat in the black night watches / While we courted the cliffs. Clamped in cold / My feet were frozen. But fiery the pain was-- / Hot in my heart--where a hunger tore through / My shoal-weary spirit"? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In what Old English poem would one listen to an individual relate a vision he had of the cross Christ was crucified upon, a cross that shifts from a bloody instrument of torture to a gilded and jewel-encrusted artifact that speaks to the man about the death and resurrection of Christ, whom the cross refers to as the "young warrior" who defeats death? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Sometimes referred to as "the father of English history", this monk wrote "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People", which contained several stories of miracles such as the account of Caedmon, an uneducated and illiterate layman who gained the gift of song and poetry through an angelic visitation that occurred in one of his dreams. Who was this "venerable" scholar and author? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In Old English poetry, like "Beowulf", a reader will encounter the tradition of forming new words by combining two other words, such as "whale-road" to mean "sea", "ring-giver" for "king", and "word-hoard" for "vocabulary" or "speech". What is the term used by scholars to refer to this word play? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. According to Seamus Heaney's translation of this long narrative poem, the hero of the tale advises, "Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning". What hero speaks these words to a king after the mother of a monstrous giant seeks vengeance for the death of her son?

Answer: Beowulf

Scholars disagree on the exact time the epic poem "Beowulf" was written down: some argue that it was written as early as AD 700 while others believe that it was written later, around AD 900 to AD 1000. However, they all agree that the tale itself is older than when it was written down on parchment, probably by monks as the clergy were usually the only individuals who were literate during the early medieval period. One of the raids mentioned in the poem, the one led by Hygelac, actually occurred in AD 520.

The Anglo-Saxons had an oral tradition that relied on memorization for the preservation of their stories and culture. Readers can get a glimpse of the ancient Germanic and Norse cultures through Beowulf's words; these people believed strongly in fate, in the pursuit of glory, and in vengeance. If someone of one's kin were killed, then he had to kill the killer or exact a man-price (or wergild) from that killer.
2. What elegiac poem found in the "Exeter Book" from around AD 975 is about a warrior who was once part of a band of fighters, but who is now lost and lamenting the death of his king and friend, the transitory nature of existence, and his lack of purpose?

Answer: The Wanderer

"The Wanderer" is part of a collection of anonymous Anglo-Saxon elegies and other poems copied and presented in one text to the Bishop of Exeter around AD 975. Most of the poem is spoken by the anonymous Wanderer himself as he mourns for the loss of his king and friend, whom he served, and by extension mourns the loss of any purpose for his life, especially in a world he describes thusly: "Nothing is ever easy in the kingdom of earth, / the world beneath the heavens is in the hands of fate. / Here possessions are fleeting, here friends are fleeting, / here man is fleeting, here kinsman is fleeting, / the whole world becomes a wilderness".

The Wanderer's speech is framed by a narrative voice that speaks of comfort offered by the Christian God.

This has led some scholars to believe "The Wanderer" is meant to be read as an allegory, a symbolic tale of an individual who is lost and has no purpose until he finds his Lord. Others argue that the poem is to be read literally and that the Christian references are the result of how the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, a gradual process that caused a lengthy existence of a mixture of both Christian and pagan values.
3. What English Abbot of Eynsham, Oxfordshire, is remembered for his "Lives of the Saints", his homilies, his translations of the Bible, and for his religious commentary, such as his "Preface to Genesis", in which he expressed his hesitation to translate Old Testament books for fear that people would live according to the "Old Law of Moses" rather than the "New Law of Christ"?

Answer: Aelfric

Aelfric, among others, helped contribute to the rise of English as an important written language; most members of the clergy wrote in Latin. In his "Preface to Genesis", Aelfric explains that an acquaintance has asked him to translate part of Genesis from Latin to English. Aelfric then expresses his fears that readers of the Old Testament will misunderstand its purpose and live their lives according to older ways.

For example, brothers might begin marrying their sisters, daughters might begin having children with their fathers, and men might begin having a multitude of wives. Aelfric goes on to write, "If anyone desires to live after the coming of Christ as men lived before or under the Law of Moses, that man is not a Christian, nor is he even worthy to have any Christian person eat with him".
4. What is the title of the remnant of an Old English poem written about a battle that occured in England on August 11, A.D. 991, between Viking raiders and the men of Essex who were led by the heroic Englishman Byrhtnoth?

Answer: The Battle of Maldon

The composer and the date of the composition of "The Battle of Maldon" are unknown. Furthermore, what we have of the poem is only a remnant; the beginning and ending of the poem are lost to us. How these losses occurred is unclear, for even though the manuscript was damaged in a fire in 1731, the manuscript was already only the remnant that we have today.

The poem discusses an historical battle and mentions names of individuals who truly existed. The English hero Byrhtnoth refuses to pay tribute to the Viking invaders and must then do battle with them.

However, despite having the Vikings in a disadvantageous position for them to do battle, he allows the Vikings to enter a larger field of battle, where a slaughter ensues and Byrhtnoth himself is slain, but not before he determinedly pushes his followers further into battle and then commends his spirit to God.

In reality, the Anglo-Saxons were massacred, and King Aethelred the Unready ended up paying the Vikings a tribute to prevent further slaughter.
5. This Old English scholar wrote a number of lyrical poems, including "Farewell to His Cell" during which the speaker of the poem is drawn by the beauty of nature but concludes that he must reject the transitory physical world as a prisoner might reject his cell. Who was this man who also accepted Charlemagne's invitation to be the head of his Palace School and later the Abbot of St. Martin's at Tours?

Answer: Alcuin

Alcuin lived from around A.D. 735 to A.D. 840. He was known by quite a few other names: Alcuin of York, Alcuinus, Ealhwine, Albinus, and Flaccus. In addition to his poems, such as "The Strife Between Winter and Spring" and "The Lost Nightingale", he wrote many doctrinal and theological works as well as letters.

He is perhaps best remembered as an educator and organizer of studies and curricula; he was a primary force behind the adoption of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy).

Some also credit Alcuin with the creation of the question mark, although his mark was quite different from the one we use in English today.
6. Which king of England, the only one ever to receive the epithet of "the Great", is celebrated for, among many other accomplishments, his push for literacy in England and for his own writing and important English translations of such Latin works as the "Cura Pastoralis", which became a standard manual on the conduct of the priesthood for centuries?

Answer: Alfred

King Alfred, or Alfred the Great, was the first English ruler to refer to himself as "the king of the Anglo-Saxons". He was highly instrumental in the creation of England as a significant nation. He tremendously improved England's legal and military structures and successfully united England in its attempt to withstand Viking invaders.

He also contributed to his people's growth of literacy and translated many important works into his people's own language (English), such as the "Cura Pastoralis", the "Ecclesiastical History of the English People", "The Consolation of Philosophy", and St. Augustine's "Soliloquies".

He himself composed the "Preface" to his translation of the "Cura Pastoralis". In this "Preface" he explains his desire that the English people be taught to read in English as well as Latin so that they might have knowledge and wisdom.
7. What Old English poem, sometimes referred to as "The Soul's Voyage", is named after the main character, who begins his evaluation of his life with these words: "I have known my ship as a cell of pain / On a sharp choppy sea. Often my stand / Was the bow of the boat in the black night watches / While we courted the cliffs. Clamped in cold / My feet were frozen. But fiery the pain was-- / Hot in my heart--where a hunger tore through / My shoal-weary spirit"?

Answer: The Seafarer

Joining "The Wanderer", "The Seafarer" is another elegy-like poem found in the Exeter Book. The Seafarer himself thinks over his life and his thoughts seem to meander. He contrasts the hardships of a life at sea with the joys of living on the land, but then he expresses his longing for the sea. Eventually, he begins speaking of the journey of life, which hopefully ends with life in Heaven; he offers bits of wisdom for how to get to Heaven and ends with praise for God.

Some scholars have argued that the sea represents the journey of life, and the land, the earthly comfort for which we long.

However, the land is impermanent, something one cannot place faith in. Thus, the Seafarer longs again for the sea, which continues to represent the journey of life, but now the Seafarer presents the journey as a process that must be completed to reach Heaven, the true source of comfort and peace.

The twentieth-century American poet Ezra Pound composed an interesting interpretation of "The Seafarer", one that disregards almost all of the Christian references and implications.

He recorded his reading of his translation accompanied by the sound of a drum that resembled distant rumbling thunder.
8. In what Old English poem would one listen to an individual relate a vision he had of the cross Christ was crucified upon, a cross that shifts from a bloody instrument of torture to a gilded and jewel-encrusted artifact that speaks to the man about the death and resurrection of Christ, whom the cross refers to as the "young warrior" who defeats death?

Answer: The Dream of the Rood

"The Dream of the Rood" is a tenth-century Old English poem whose narrator relates his experience of a mystical dream vision of Christ's cross--the rood--which presents itself as a thane or warrior saddened by its unwilling role in Christ's death. Nevertheless, Christ rises again, and the rood, buried with Christ, rises as well. Thus, the poem reflects a time of transition in Anglo-Saxon culture from a pagan society to a Christian one that believes in hope, sacrifice, and grace, a society that accepts the existence of a soul. That the rood refers to Christ as a "warrior" and "king" and laments that it cannot avenge its "lord" represents lingering remnants of the Anglo-Saxon world view.

It may also represent the strategy used by Christians to convert the Anglo-Saxons; Christian missionaries often presented Christian ideas in terms they felt the Anglo-Saxons could relate to, such as referring to Christ as a "warrior".
9. Sometimes referred to as "the father of English history", this monk wrote "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People", which contained several stories of miracles such as the account of Caedmon, an uneducated and illiterate layman who gained the gift of song and poetry through an angelic visitation that occurred in one of his dreams. Who was this "venerable" scholar and author?

Answer: Bede

Bede, often referred to as the Venerable Bede and St. Bede, lived from ca. AD 672 to 735. He lived as a monk for almost his entire life at St. Peter at Monkwearmouth in Northumbria and later at St. Paul's at Jarrow, also in Northumbria. Although his "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" was written in Latin, it is still possesses literary value in the study of English literature because of its in-depth presentation of English customs, culture, and history. Bede's goal was, of course, to preserve how the English were converted to Christianity; however, the text's reliance on numerous miracle stories was also meant to contribute to further conversion.

In addition to Caedmon's miracle, there is also the story of King Edwin, who is approached by an advisor who knows the details of one of Edwin's dreams, and the story of Imma, a prisoner of war whose bindings continue to loosen and fall away every night when his brother, who believes Imma to be dead, prays for the release of his soul from its earthly bindings.
10. In Old English poetry, like "Beowulf", a reader will encounter the tradition of forming new words by combining two other words, such as "whale-road" to mean "sea", "ring-giver" for "king", and "word-hoard" for "vocabulary" or "speech". What is the term used by scholars to refer to this word play?

Answer: kenning

A kenning is a figure of speech used as a substitute for another word, much as a metaphor might be used. However, a kenning relies usually on the compounding of two or three words for the creation of another word. The practice seems to have its origin in Old Norse poetry, but it is also found in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry as well.
Source: Author alaspooryoric

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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This quiz is part of series Survey of British Literature:

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