Medieval Literature & Culture Mcqs - Set 6

1)   Which of the following would most likely be the theme of a medieval romance ?

a. The story of an English village’s conversion to Christianity
b. A first-person story of the Norman invasion
c. The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden
d. A poem that features courtly love but denounces supernaturalism
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


2)   How was mystical literature significant ?

a. Mystical literature suggested the continued link between paganism and Christianity.
b. Mystical literature prohibited women from writing in the voice of God.
c. Mystical literature ended the trend of poems in which God was cast as a lover.
d. Mystical literature provided a place for women to write romantic and religious literature.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Mystical literature provided a place for women to write romantic and religious literature.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


3)   Despite the fact that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle continued well into the Norman rule of the 12th century, which king originally commissioned this work ?

a. King Harold
b. King Arthur
c. William the Conqueror
d. Alfred the Great
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Alfred the Great

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


4)   Which of the following is not a theme in Chretien de Troyes Yvain, le Chevalier au Lion ?

a. The relationships between knights and ladies
b. The feudal system
c. The knight’s lack of loyalty to his lord
d. The conduct of wars and tournaments
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: The knight’s lack of loyalty to his lord

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


5)   Which of the following best describes the significance of the following line from Julian of Norwich’s “Revelations of Divine Love”: “all manner of things shall be well” ?

a. The world is a happy and wonderful place.
b. We can make the world better if we work hard.
c. There are many things in the world to love.
d. The love and grace of God can change lives for the better.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: The love and grace of God can change lives for the better.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


6)   The adventure of another lay/Just as it happened, I’ll relay ?

a. The line has obvious rhyme and meter, and the opening words suggest a story of adventure and excitement.
b. The strong alliteration creates rhythm that accentuates the adventurous spirit.
c. The line seems to frame a story with plot complications.
d. The line alludes to a poem with religious undertones.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: The line has obvious rhyme and meter, and the opening words suggest a story of adventure and excitement.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


7)   What is the significance of the “Green Knight” ?

a. He suggests the lack of knightly themes in Middle English poetry.
b. He alludes to an ancient Anglo-Saxon ruler.
c. He represents the link with Celtic mythology.
d. He suggests a continued tie with paganism.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: He represents the link with Celtic mythology.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


8)   Which of the following is the best example of a morality play ?

a. “The Seafarer”
b. “Everyman”
c. “The Second Shepherds’ Play”
d. “The Dream of the Rood”
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: “Everyman”

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


9)   How did the Normans revolutionize English poetry ?

a. They introduced alliterative verse.
b. They introduced rhyming octosyllabic couplets.
c. They introduced iambic pentameter.
d. They introduced metaphor.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: They introduced rhyming octosyllabic couplets.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


10)   How did the interaction between the English and the Bretons affect literature ?

a. The exposure to new forms ended the production of lais.
b. This interaction led to the influence of Arthurian legend on French literature.
c. This interaction led to more stories about the English conversion to Christianity.
d. The cultural exchange led to more stories about ancient myths.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: This interaction led to the influence of Arthurian legend on French literature.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


11)   Which of the following is not an example of a lai ?

a. Sir Launfal
b. Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath
c. Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale
d. Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


12)   What distinguishes morality plays from mystery plays ?

a. Mystery plays involve Christian themes, whereas morality plays do not.
b. Morality plays involve Christian themes, whereas mystery plays do not.
c. Morality plays were written individually, whereas mystery plays are in cycles.
d. Mystery plays were written individually, whereas morality plays are in cycles.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Morality plays were written individually, whereas mystery plays are in cycles.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


13)   What led to the alliterative revival ?

a. A return to reading poetry from the 11th and 12th centuries
b. The influence of southern courtly poets writing in French and Latin
c. A surge in English nationalism
d. The introduction to new poetic forms during the Norman invasion
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: A surge in English nationalism

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


14)   How do the themes of Marie de France’s Lanval and Chretien de Troyes Yvain compare ?

a. Both use the comitatus ethic to explain their hero’s motivations.
b. Both include references toWilliam the Conqueror.
c. Both include the theme of broken promises between lovers.
d. Both feature mentions of the conversion from paganism.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Both include the theme of broken promises between lovers.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


15)   In Acrene Wisse, what is the author’s advice regarding priests ?

a. Priests should be used as examples of ecclesiastical life.
b. Priests should be avoided, because men are bad influences.
c. Priests should offer anchoresses their only connection to the outside world.
d. Priests should be honored, because men are naturally more spiritual.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Priests should be avoided, because men are bad influences.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


16)   Pride in one’s accomplishments was important to the Anglo-Saxon thegn. If so, why does Hrothgar say in Beowulf: do not give way to pride ?

a. Hrothgar believes it is important to stay focused on revenge.
b. Pride is one of the deadly sins.
c. Pride causes one to appear immodest.
d. Extreme pride can cause one to be overly secure and make mistakes.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Extreme pride can cause one to be overly secure and make mistakes.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


17)   Why is the concept of feudalism important in medieval literature ?

a. Feudalism represents the world ofscholars who studied the ancient texts of the past.
b. The feudal world is one of glamor and beauty.
c. Feudalism represents an economic hierarchy, the upper levels of which created and consumed literature.
d. Feudalism represents interesting family quarrels that make for good stories.
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Feudalism represents an economic hierarchy, the upper levels of which created and consumed literature.

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


18)   Which of the following most accurately explains the Bretons influence on medieval literature ?

a. The Bretons roots were in the Celtic cultural tradition.
b. Breton literature had a profound effect on medieval literature in England.
c. The Bretons represented prominent forces in the Norman invasion.
d. All of these answers
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of these answers

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


19)   Which genre is based on interactions between three feudal classes ?

a. Dream poetry
b. Romance
c. Lai
d. Estates satire
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Estates satire

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!


20)   Between which movements do historians situate literature in the Middle Ages ?

a. English Reformation and Elizabethan Age
b. Civil war and the Restoration
c. Roman departure and the Renaissance
d. Romanticism and the Enlightenment
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Roman departure and the Renaissance

Explanation:
No explanation is available for this question!