Unit 1 Test Flashcards
The most accurate assessment of the Middle Ages is that the period was
a time of dynamic change
What became the language of the ruling class and business after the Norman invasion
French
The action that contributed most to the development of Old English as a written language was
the introduction of the Latin alphabet
Alfred’s concern for an educated leadership and the loss of Latin manuscripts in the Viking raids were primarily responsible for
the transmission of most Old English literature into the dialect of West Saxon
What is not a common feature of Old English poetry
rhyme
In Bede’s History, the most accurate description of Caedmon is that he was
a humble, uneducated man who had the gift of versifying sacred history
In “The Conversation of Edwin,” the three basic philosophical questions alluded to by Edwin’s wise counselor deal with the subjects of
origin, meaning, and destiny
King Edwin’s counselor uses the illustration of the sparrow to portray
the brevity of life
the subject of “Caedmon’s hymn” is
creation
Reasons that epics are not generally written today include all of these except that
the oral tradition has gradually died out
Epics are traditionally
didactic
In Beowulf, the Danes are being assaulted by Grendel because of what sin
Greed
The main theme of Beowulf is that
the continuance of civilization requires virtuous heroes
One evidence of the mixing of pagan and Christian element
the confusion of Wyrd as Providence
The Anglo-Saxon term for fate is
Wyrd
Beowulf mortally wounds Grendel by
tearing off his arm
Which word best describes the attitude of the shield and the weathercock in the Anglo-Saxon riddles
symapthetic
According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, William of Normandy lacked which heroic quality
generosity
According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Edmund faced all of the following difficulties in his effort to defend England except
the greater mobility of the Danes
According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which word best describes William the Conqueror as a ruler
severe
Who invented the term “Dark Ages” to describe the medieval period, and why did they do so
18th century rationalists; they saw it as a dark time in which the Catholic Church had too much power
What major contribution did the Normans make to English government
Language
Which language’s influence on Old English is apparent in the pronouns “they,” “them,” and “their”
Scandinavian
Humor in Old English poetry evidenced itself in what two forms
Irony / riddles
What is the earliest surviving English poem
Caedmon’s Hymn
Which of Bede’s works is the major source of information about the Anglo-Saxons before Alfred the Great
Ecclesiastical History of the English People
“Wave-skimmer” and “swan-road” are examples of what poetic device
Kenning
What is an epic
A long, stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a national hero
What are two types of epics
Folk epic
Literary epic
Why is Beowulf said to have a circular structure
Started with a good king ruling and dying and ended with a good king ruling and dying
What is the traditional aim of didactic poetry
To teach by delighting
How is an iceberg considered charming
To see how God created something so magnificent above water, yet it is even grander below
What is the lesson for us in the Anglo-Saxon riddle about the bookworm
To understand what you read/ don’t just read it and be ignorant of its teaching
What king was responsible for initiating The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Alfred the Great
What is a fyrd
National army
According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, when King Ethelred died, whom did the witan choose as the new king
King Edmund
According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, what was the purpose of William’s Domesday Book
A census–he wanted a record of what his people had
Did pockets of true Christianity exist during the medieval period both inside and outside of the Roman Catholic Church
Yes
Did political change occur, after the Norman invasion of 1066, more gradually and from within England itself
Yes
Was Latin the the language not only of the church but also of scholarship and diplomacy during the Middle Ages
Yes
Was Bede a staunch critic of the beliefs and traditions of Catholicism
No
Did Bede take great pride in his scholarship and write his “History” primarily as a display of his knowledge
No
Was Grendel an offspring of Judas according to Beowulf
No
Is water a blessing and a curse in the riddle about an iceberg
Yes
Are the riddles about the shield and weathercock monologues
Yes
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was London important to both the defense and determination of policy in England
Yes
Did the English under Willam value tyranny more than anarchy
Yes
