| Who were Grendel’s earliest ancestors? | A pair of monsters born of Cain |
| “Wondering what the warriors would do” is an example of what literary element? | alliteration |
| What does Grendel do on his first visit to Herot? | He kills and eats thirty men |
| What news about Grendel spreads all over the world that makes him so frightening to Anglo-Saxons? | He seeks no peace, offers no truce, and accepts no settlement to stop killing |
| What experience does Beowulf have that causes his countrymen to encourage him to fight Grendel? | He hunted monsters out of the ocean and drove five giants into chains |
| How does Beowulf fight Grendel? | With his bare hands |
| How does Beowulf defeat Grendel? | He pulls his arm off |
| “Sometimes a proud old soldier… would weave a net of words for Beowulf’s victory, tying the knot of his verses smoothly” contains examples of which literary element? | metaphor |
| What little story does Hrothgar tell to illustrate the evil nature of Grendel’s mother’s lake? | A deer would not go in the lake to save itself from being killed by a pack of dogs |
| What superhuman thing does Beowulf do when seeking Grendel’s mother? | He swims underwater for hours |
| How does Beowulf defeat Grendel’s mother? | He cuts her head off with a huge sword that was made by giants |
| How heavy is Grendel’s head? | It takes four men to carry it |
| How much time passes between Beowulf’s victory over Grendel’s mother and his battle with the dragon? | Fifty years |
| During the battle with the dragon, what happens to Beowulf’s sword and shield? | His sword breaks and his shield melts |
| What does Wiglaf say to the warriors who failed to help Beowulf in his battle with the dragon? | He says they are traitors, and they and their families are disgraced forever |
| What does the dragon do to Beowulf that eventually causes Beowulf’s death? | It bites him in the neck and poisons him |
| What does Beowulf say about the years he has reigned as king? | They have been peaceful because no other countries have threatened the Geats |
| What does Beowulf tell Wiglaf to do? | Lead the Geats as their next king |
| “They came like shamefaced jackals” is an example of which literary element? | simile |
| What do Beowulf’s followers believe about him? | He was the best king ever |
| Describing Grendel’s hands as “hell-forged” is an example of what literary element especially common in epic poetry? | stock epithet |
| Referring to Hrothgar as the “shelterer of warriors” is an example of what literary element especially cocmmon in epic poetry? | kenning |
| What does Beowulf do to show the Danes he has been victorious over Grendel? | He hangs Grendel’s arm from the rafters in Herot |
| “Fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper” is an example of which literary element? | foreshadowing |
| Why couldn’t Beowulf’s men help him kill Grendel? | Their swords don’t cut Grendel’s skin because Grendel had “bewitched all men’s weapons” to make them unable to harm him |
Beowulf Test Review
February 21, 2020