MCQs with Explanation on Old English Literature
1.
Who is the hero of Beowulf?
a) Hrothgar
b) Beowulf
c) Wiglaf
d) Grendel
Answer: b) Beowulf
Explanation: Beowulf is the Geatish warrior who defeats Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon.
2.
Beowulf was originally written in:
a) Latin
b) Old English
c) Middle English
d) Norse
Answer: b) Old English
Explanation: It is the most important surviving epic in Old English.
3.
The manuscript of Beowulf is preserved in:
a) Cotton Nero A.x
b) Cotton Vitellius A.xv
c) Harley Manuscript
d) Bodleian Manuscript
Answer: b) Cotton Vitellius A.xv
Explanation: The sole surviving manuscript belongs to the Cotton collection.
4.
Who attacks Heorot Hall in Beowulf?
a) Dragon
b) Grendel
c) Beowulf
d) Hrothgar
Answer: b) Grendel
Explanation: Grendel terrorizes King Hrothgar’s hall.
5.
Which poetic device is most characteristic of Old English poetry?
a) Rhyme
b) Alliteration
c) Assonance
d) Blank verse
Answer: b) Alliteration
Explanation: Old English poetry relies heavily on alliterative verse rather than rhyme.
6.
What is a “kenning”?
a) A rhyme scheme
b) A metaphorical compound expression
c) A stanza form
d) A narrative style
Answer: b) A metaphorical compound expression
Explanation: Example: “whale-road” for sea.
7.
Which work is attributed to Caedmon?
a) The Wanderer
b) Caedmon’s Hymn
c) The Seafarer
d) Dream of the Rood
Answer: b) Caedmon’s Hymn
Explanation: It is one of the earliest recorded Old English poems.
8.
Bede wrote:
a) Beowulf
b) Ecclesiastical History of the English People
c) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
d) The Wanderer
Answer: b) Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Explanation: A key historical source for early England.
9.
Which poem reflects exile and loss?
a) The Wanderer
b) Beowulf
c) Judith
d) Widsith
Answer: a) The Wanderer
Explanation: It explores loneliness and the transience of life.
10.
“The Seafarer” deals primarily with:
a) War
b) Religious devotion and exile
c) Romance
d) Politics
Answer: b) Religious devotion and exile
Explanation: Combines physical journey with spiritual reflection.
11.
The “Dream of the Rood” is about:
a) A king’s dream
b) A vision of the Cross
c) A battle
d) A voyage
Answer: b) A vision of the Cross
Explanation: The Cross narrates Christ’s crucifixion.
12.
Which of the following is NOT an Old English poem?
a) The Wanderer
b) The Seafarer
c) The Canterbury Tales
d) Widsith
Answer: c) The Canterbury Tales
Explanation: It belongs to Middle English.
13.
“Wyrd” in Old English literature means:
a) Fate
b) God
c) War
d) Love
Answer: a) Fate
Explanation: A central theme in Anglo-Saxon worldview.
14.
Who is the king of the Danes in Beowulf?
a) Beowulf
b) Hrothgar
c) Hygelac
d) Ecgtheow
Answer: b) Hrothgar
Explanation: He builds Heorot Hall.
15.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is:
a) A poem
b) A historical record
c) A play
d) A novel
Answer: b) A historical record
Explanation: It records events in early English history.
16.
Who kills the dragon in Beowulf?
a) Wiglaf and Beowulf
b) Beowulf alone
c) Grendel
d) Hrothgar
Answer: a) Wiglaf and Beowulf
Explanation: Wiglaf assists Beowulf in the final battle.
17.
Old English literature was mainly influenced by:
a) French culture
b) Latin and Christian traditions
c) Italian Renaissance
d) Greek drama
Answer: b) Latin and Christian traditions
Explanation: After conversion to Christianity.
18.
Which theme is dominant in Old English poetry?
a) Romantic love
b) Heroism
c) Comedy
d) Satire
Answer: b) Heroism
Explanation: Warrior culture dominates.
19.
Who wrote The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
a) Single author
b) Multiple authors
c) Bede
d) Caedmon
Answer: b) Multiple authors
Explanation: Compiled over time.
20.
The tone of Old English elegies is usually:
a) Joyful
b) Melancholic
c) Comic
d) Satirical
Answer: b) Melancholic
Explanation: Reflects loss and exile.
21.
“Widsith” is a:
a) Religious poem
b) Traveller’s tale
c) Epic
d) Drama
Answer: b) Traveller’s tale
Explanation: Describes journeys and tribes.
22.
Old English period roughly spans:
a) 450–1066
b) 1066–1500
c) 1500–1660
d) 1660–1800
Answer: a) 450–1066
Explanation: Ends with Norman Conquest.
23.
Who introduced Christianity to Anglo-Saxons?
a) Romans
b) Missionaries like St. Augustine
c) Vikings
d) Normans
Answer: b) Missionaries like St. Augustine
Explanation: Led to religious literature.
24.
Which creature is Grendel’s mother?
a) Human
b) Monster
c) Queen
d) Witch
Answer: b) Monster
Explanation: She seeks revenge.
25.
Old English poetry is mostly:
a) Written
b) Oral tradition
c) Printed
d) Digital
Answer: b) Oral tradition
Explanation: Passed down orally.
26.
Which concept reflects loyalty between lord and warrior?
a) Feudal bond
b) Comitatus
c) Democracy
d) Republic
Answer: b) Comitatus
Explanation: Central to warrior ethics.
27.
Which poem is a heroic epic?
a) The Wanderer
b) Beowulf
c) The Seafarer
d) Deor
Answer: b) Beowulf
Explanation: It narrates heroic deeds.
28.
“Deor” expresses:
a) Happiness
b) Consolation through suffering
c) War victory
d) Romance
Answer: b) Consolation through suffering
Explanation: Refrain shows endurance.
29.
The language of Old English is closest to:
a) German
b) French
c) Latin
d) Greek
Answer: a) German
Explanation: It is a Germanic language.
30.
The Norman Conquest occurred in:
a) 1066
b) 1200
c) 1400
d) 1500
Answer: a) 1066
Explanation: Marks the end of Old English period.
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