Name: ___________________________

Date: ____________________

Beowulf Exam (85 points)

Matching: Match the name of the character to each description. Each name will be used
only once, not every description may be used. Please write the letter (description) next to
the number (name of character). (2 points each)
a. King of Denmark _____ 1. Grendel

b. Ecgetheow’s Son ______2. Wiglaf

c. Beowulf’s Sword _______3. The Dragon

d. Has his arm torn off in battle _______4. Beowulf

e. Beowulf’s successor _______ 5. Hrothgar

f. Kills Beowulf

g. Grendel’s ancestor

Fill in the blank: Answer the question by filling in the blank with the most appropriate
word/term. (1 point/blank)

1. Beowulf kept Grendel’s _____________ and ____________ as proof that he killed the

monsters. Grendel’s mother took his ___________ from Herot as retaliation.

2. The original manuscript was badly damaged by a ____________ in the year

____________. This was catastrophic because only __________ manuscript(s) exist.

_________________________, and ____________________________.

4. Although Beowulf does not use rhyme, the poem uses other literary devices, such as

__________________, ______________________, and/or _______________________.

5. The beginning date for the Anglo-Saxon period is ___________________, and

______________________ and _______________________ were the two major

religions of the time.

Multiple choice: Select the choice that best answers the question presented. (2 points each)

1. Which of the following is NOT a kenning used to describe Beowulf?

a. Higlac’s Follower

b. Ecgetheow’s Son

c. Strong-hearted wakeful sleeper

d. Infamous killer

2. Who is Grendel supposedly descended from?

a. King Hrothgar

b. Cain

c. Abel

d. Beowulf

3. What or who is Hrunting?

a. King of Denmark
 b. Beowulf’s heir

c. Beowulf’s sword

d. Grendel’s mother

4. What literary device is both Grendel and his mother being beheaded by Beowulf an

example of?

a. Sarcasm

b. Irony

c. Foreshadowing

d. Alliteration

5. Why does the dragon wake up from its slumber?

a. Beowulf wakes it to prove himself

b. Wiglaf wakes it to prove himself

c. It wakes once every 100 years

d. An escaping slave stole a goblet from its hoard

6. What was the only thing that was able to destroy Herot?

a. Earthquakes

b. Fire

c. A flood

d. Beowulf

7. Who is the author of Beowulf?

a. We aren’t sure; anonymous

b. Seamus Haney

c. Burton Raffel
 d. Homer

8. What weapon does Beowulf use to kill Grendel’s mother?

a. His own sword

b. His hands

c. Her giant sword

d. An electric eel

9. How long did Grendel terrorize Herot for?

a. One night

b. Twelve years

c. A few weeks

d. One hundred years

10. How does Beowulf die?

a. He is burned to death

b. The dragon beheads him

c. Wiglaf kills him for his crown

d. The dragon’s poison kills him

11. Who did the dragon’s treasure originally belong to?

a. An ancient race of people

b. Beowulf and the Geats

c. King Hrothgar

d. Many different people; he collected it over time

12. According to Wiglaf, who is responsible for Beowulf’s death?

a. The Dragon
 b. Beowulf’s pride

c. He is; Wiglaf killed him

d. The Geat soldiers who abandoned him

13. Why can’t Beowulf’s men kill Grendel?

a. It’s Beowulf’s fate to kill Grendel

b. Grendel’s skin cannot be pierced by any blade

c. Grendel eats them all first

d. Grendel’s mother sends them into an enchanted slumber

14. The phrase “Almighty’s candle” is a kenning for...

a. Beowulf

b. God

c. The sun

d. Grendel

15. For how many years is Beowulf King of the Geats?

a. Five

b. Fifty

c. Eighty

d. One

True or False: Write legibly on the line provided. If I cannot tell whether you wrote a T or

an F, it will be marked as incorrect. (2 points each)

2. ________ Grendel dies in Herot.

3. ________ None of Beowulf’s men (the Geats) are killed by Grendel.

4. _______ Beowulf fights the dragon to take its poison.

5. ________ The dragon drives its tusks/fangs through Beowulf’s neck.

Short Answer: Answer each prompt completely in approximately 3-5 sentences. Make sure

you are writing in full sentences and read each prompt carefully. (5 points each)

1. Each of the monsters that Beowulf defeats represents a negative human characteristic.

Tell me what each monster represents and how/why they represent it.

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2. We discussed that the movie varies greatly from the poem. Explain at least one similarity

between the two and at least two differences.

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3. Fate, or wyrd as the Anglo-Saxons would have called it, was the highest authority in

Beowulf. Tell me at least two examples from the poem where we see Beowulf’s

belief/trust in Fate.

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4. We also discussed many examples of irony throughout the poem. Tell me about one of

them and explain what makes it ironic.

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