Que- In the Middle Ages, nuns also performed which of the following roles ?
a. teachers
b. scribes
c. authors
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- Which of the following characterized court life in the Middle Ages ?
a. recitations by poets
b. knightly tournaments
c. games
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- Which is the best example of the "double standard" that exists in tales of courtly love ?
a. women are always villains, while men are always heroes
b. women are always involved in supernatural plots while men's storylines tend to be more realistic
c. men are allowed to boast about their affairs, while women must keep them secret
d. men are represented as immoral while women are always presented as chaste
Answer- men are allowed to boast about their affairs, while women must keep them secret
Que- What is an anchoress ?
a. a medieval female hermit
b. a woman who rejects the support of the community because she feels it is sexist
c. a male anchorite
d. a religious teacher in the medieval era
Answer- a medieval female hermit
Que- How did increased lay participation in religious life impact monasteries ?
a. it made them more valuable sources of information
b. it made them seem irrelevant since they separated religious life from worldly life
c. it made them more important since there were few literate lay worshipers
d. it made them symbols of the Church's progress
Answer- it made them seem irrelevant since they separated religious life from worldly life
Que- Which of the following themes do both Julian of Norwich and Catherine of Siena explore ?
a. the idea that community is essential to salvation
b. the concept of dualism of body and soul
c. the concept of a sensual God
d. the idea that God is separate from the human experience of love
Answer- the concept of a sensual God
Que- In the Middle Ages, which class of people was most likely to be literate ?
a. monks
b. working class women
c. working class men
d. peasants
Answer- monks
Que- What were "conduct books" ?
a. books that established standards of behavior for women
b. books that were primarily intended to teach men how to treat their wives
c. books that conformed with strict standards of behavior
d. books that recounted historical events in the medieval era
Answer- books that established standards of behavior for women
Que- How did courtly literature characterize its heroines ?
a. they were never chaste or pious
b. they always represented the evil side of love
c. they were sources of inspiration for heroic action
d. they were examples of mystical unions
Answer- they were sources of inspiration for heroic action
Que- Which is/are a theme(s) of "The Acts of Thecla ?"
a. courtly love
b. peasant life
c. praise of chastity
d. female literacy
Answer- praise of chastity
Que- What is the authorship controversy as it relates to Heloise and Abelard ?
a. the critical debate about the verification of events in the letters
b. the idea that Abelard wrote all of the letters
c. the issue of whether there is a "female voice" in the letters
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- Which of the following women is widely considered the first feminist ?
a. Margery Kempe
b. Catherine of Siena
c. Thecla
d. Christine de Pizan
Answer- Christine de Pizan
Que- Which provides the best example of a medieval allegory ?
a. The Book of Margery Kempe
b. The Wooing of Our Lord
c. An Orison to Almighty God
d. The Romance of the Rose
Answer- The Romance of the Rose
Que- What is "scholasticism" as it relates to the medieval era ?
a. a period in which philosophers attempted to reconcile philosophy with religion
b. a period of educational activity
c. a period associated with the Carolingian Renaissance
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- In the context of Medieval literature, what does the term "mystical marriage" mean ?
a. it is a union supported by the Church
b. it is a union between anchorites
c. it is a mystical union between two people
d. it is a spiritual union with God
Answer- it is a spiritual union with God
Que- How did the Christian laws about marriage differ from those of Germanic tribes' customs ?
a. the Germanic tribes allowed relationships between family members, while the Church prohibited marriage between relatives
b. the Church outlawed marriages between children, while Germanic tribes tolerated them
c. the Germanic tribes tolerated polygamy, while the Church made monogamy the only acceptable type of union
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- Which writer(s) is/are associated with mysticism ?
a. Richard Rolle
b. Walter Hilton
c. Julian of Norwich
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- Who were the troubadours ?
a. poets from France and Italy
b. men who wrote only in the mystical tradition
c. the authors of conduct books
d. heretics persecuted by the Church
Answer- poets from France and Italy
Que- Which literary device is most important structurally in The Book of the City of Ladies ?
a. assonance
b. allegory
c. litotes
d. simile
Answer- allegory
Que- Which of the following best characterize noble women in the Middle Ages ?
a. they were expected to fix problems in their husbands' absence
b. they ran the household
c. they were expected to be religious role models
d. All of the Above
Answer- All of the Above
Que- How did the development of nation-states in the late Middle Ages affect women ?
a. they lost the ability to be anchoresses
b. they lost much of their political and economic power
c. they were able to acquire more political capital
d. they took on more important roles in the economy
Answer- they lost much of their political and economic power
Que- In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," what is the significance of "barley bread" ?
a. Barley bread provides an example of medieval estates satire.
b. Barley bread represents the wife's answer to the belief that virginity is superior to marriage.
c. Barley bread suggests the heroine's state as a fallen woman.
d. Barley bread signifies Chaucer's use of alliterative verse.
Answer- Barley bread represents the wife's answer to the belief that virginity is superior to marriage.
Que- Which of the following statements regarding the success and importance of the oral tradition of literature is true ?
a. Monks memorized many passages of scripture, preserving scriptures.
b. Scops recited poems to noble audiences, preserving the stories and poetic tradition.
c. Thegns were nobles who liked literature, and their patronage made poets popular.
d. Anchoresses recited poems to occupy their time alone in their cells.
Answer- Scops recited poems to noble audiences, preserving the stories and poetic tradition.
Que- 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- The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden
Que- 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- Mystical literature provided a place for women to write romantic and religious literature.
Que- 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- Alfred the Great
Que- 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- The knight's lack of loyalty to his lord
Que- 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- The love and grace of God can change lives for the better.
Que- 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- The line has obvious rhyme and meter, and the opening words suggest a story of adventure and excitement.
Que- 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- He represents the link with Celtic mythology.
Que- 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- Everyman
Que- 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- They introduced rhyming octosyllabic couplets.
Que- 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- This interaction led to the influence of Arthurian legend on French literature.
Que- 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- Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love
Que- 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- Morality plays were written individually, whereas mystery plays are in cycles.
Que- 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- A surge in English nationalism
Que- 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- Both include the theme of broken promises between lovers.
Que- 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- Priests should be avoided, because men are bad influences.
Que- 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- Extreme pride can cause one to be overly secure and make mistakes.
Que- 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- Feudalism represents an economic hierarchy, the upper levels of which created and consumed literature.
Que- 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- All of these answers
Que- Which genre is based on interactions between three feudal classes ?
a. Dream poetry
b. Romance
c. Lai
d. Estates satire
Answer- Estates satire
Que- 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- Roman departure and the Renaissance
Que- What does Chaucer write concerning the devastating effect of the Black Death upon English social, cultural, and economic life in "The Canterbury Tales" ?
a. Priests died in great numbers.
b. Rent prices increased because of the market boom.
c. The upper classes were burdened by their monopoly of scarce resources.
d. Chaucer wrote no direct descriptions.
Answer- The upper classes were burdened by their monopoly of scarce resources.
Que- How did the Norman Conquest affect the international political situation in England ?
a. The Norman Conquest increased the French influence.
b. The Norman Conquest marked the last attempt for a Scandinavian nation to overtake England.
c. The Norman Conquest ended cultural interaction with Norway and Denmark.
d. All of these answers
Answer- All of these answers
Que- Which of the following is not an example of Arthurian legend ?
a. Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae
b. Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love
c. Marie de France's Lanval
d. Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur
Answer- Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love
Que- The Second Shepherds' Play is part of which play cycle ?
a. Cornish cycle
b. York cycle
c. Roman cycle
d. Wakefield cycle
Answer- Wakefield cycle
Que- Which of the following is the best example of a mystery play ?
a. The Wife of Bath's Tale
b. The Second Shepherds' Play
c. The Knight's Tale
d. The Dream of the Rood
Answer- The Second Shepherds' Play
Que- What is the significance of the phrase protecting the heart from Acrene Wisse ?
a. The phrase refers to anchoresses' responsibility to defend other Christians.
b. The phrase suggests that women should safeguard their spirituality through total withdrawal from the world.
c. The phrase is considered one of the positive effects of prayer.
d. The phrase involves becoming a nunin order to escape the bad influence of men.
Answer- The phrase suggests that women should safeguard their spirituality through total withdrawal from the world.
Que- Which of the following genres applies to Langland's "Piers Plowman" ?
a. Allegory
b. Social satire
c. Dream vision
d. All of these answers
Answer- All of these answers