What is problematic about calling Beowulf part of Old English literature ?

A. There is no firm concept of when english literature began.
B. The epic poem is written in a language that is unrecognizable to many english speakers.
C. Danish and german scholars first claimed the poem.
D. There are no english characters in the poem.

Chaucer’s pilgrims are a representative section of late medieval society. Which of the following economic situations is evident among this group ?

A. Landlords had growing problems with their tenants.
B. The lack of guilds led to a decline in available civic services.
C. A modern social hierarchy developed.
D. All of these answers

Chaucer and Langland were contemporaries, but there were several differences between their writing styles. Which of the following best describes these differences ?

A. Langland wrote only about aristocratic characters that were similar to arthurian legends, whereas chaucer wrote about lower social classes.
B. Chaucer and langland wrote in different dialects.
C. Chaucer copied french and italian style, whereas langland did not.
D. Most of chaucer’s poetry was for a secular court audience, whereas langland’s was didactic, teaching a moral lesson.

What is the significance of the line: Fate is established! in The Wanderer ?

A. The line describes the optimistic attitude of the speaker.
B. The line suggests that the speaker is comfortably settled.
C. the wanderer is a poem about fatal endings.
D. The line suggests that fate plays an irrevocable role in human affairs

Which of the following advice is offered to women in Acrene Wisse ?

A. Anchoresses should live in a dwelling attached to a church.
B. Anchoresses should avoid gossip.
C. Anchoresses should avoid men.
D. All of these answers

Which of the following factors helped create a solidified British political identity ?

A. The shift away from individual petty kingdoms to central rule under king alfred
B. Efforts to revive learning
C. The translation of latin religious and historical works in vernacular traditions
D. All of these answers

The turbulent years of the 14th century witnessed a blending of language and culture that led to the rise of Middle English. Which of the following events led to the nickname “the era of catastrophes” ?

A. The hundred years war
B. The great schism
C. The black plague
D. All of these answers

What is a lai ?

A. A poem with courtly love as its central theme
B. A short lyrical poem
C. A poem that is usually in octosyllabic couplets
D. All of these answers

Which of the following is not related to the term medievalism ?

A. Enlightenment
B. Feudalism
C. Guildhouses
D. Monasticism

Which of the following themes appears in “The Miller’s Tale” ?

A. The misuse of scripture
B. The contrast between vulgar love and courtly love
C. The misdirected kiss
D. All of these answers