History of English Literature Quiz-Part-1 (Anglo-Saxon Period) - Naeem Ullah Butt

Quiz No. 1: Anglo-Saxon Period (Old English Literature) (1-50)

This is the first part of the English Literature Quiz. It marks the beginning of an exciting journey. The journey is structured through the rich timeline of English literary history. I have thoughtfully decided to start preparing this section by focusing on the very first phase—the Anglo-Saxon period. I am careful to maintain the chronological order of all the literary periods. These periods form the History of English Literature. This sequence is important because it allows learners to move through the quizzes with clarity and confidence.

Moreover, by following this logical and historical order, the visitors will find it extremely easy to navigate and engage with each quiz section. As a result, the structure will guide them step by step through each era without causing any confusion. In particular, this Anglo-Saxon period literature quiz will offer you the best possible content for preparation. It contains carefully selected questions designed to test and strengthen your understanding of early English literary works, themes, devices, and authors.

Additionally, I will try my level best to include as many quizzes and practice exercises as possible to ensure that your preparation remains strong and effective. With that goal in mind, I now present to you the first installment of this series—“Anglo-Saxon Period Literature Quiz – Part 1.” Let’s begin this journey into the roots of English literature together.

Which is the greatest epic poem of the Anglo-Saxon period?
A) The Wanderer
B) Beowulf
C) The Seafarer
D) The Dream of the Rood
Answer: B
Which manuscript contains the poem Beowulf?
A) Exeter Book
B) Vercelli Book
C) Nowell Codex
D) Junius Manuscript
Answer: C
Who is considered the earliest named English poet?
A) Cynewulf
B) Caedmon
C) Bede
D) Alfred
Answer: B
What is the main theme of The Seafarer?
A) War and loyalty
B) Love and betrayal
C) Christian pilgrimage and exile
D) Epic heroism
Answer: C
Which device is common in Anglo-Saxon poetry?
A) Rhyme
B) Iambic pentameter
C) Alliteration
D) Enjambment
Answer: C
What is a “kenning”?
A) A type of rhyme
B) A metaphorical compound word
C) A stanza of four lines
D) A battle cry
Answer: B
Which Anglo-Saxon poet signed some of his poems?
A) Bede
B) Caedmon
C) Cynewulf
D) Aldhelm
Answer: C
Which poem is a Christian vision of the crucifixion?
A) The Seafarer
B) The Dream of the Rood
C) The Battle of Brunanburh
D) The Wanderer
Answer: B
Who wrote Ecclesiastical History of the English People?
A) Bede
B) Alfred the Great
C) Cynewulf
D) Caedmon
Answer: A
What is the language of the Anglo-Saxon period called?
A) Middle English
B) Old Norse
C) Latin
D) Old English
Answer: D
The poem The Wanderer deals with themes of—
A) Royal marriage
B) Love and jealousy
C) Exile and loss
D) War and victory
Answer: C
Which of these is NOT part of the four major Old English manuscripts?
A) Junius Manuscript
B) Vercelli Book
C) Cotton Vitellius A.xv
D) Book of Kells
Answer: D
Who translated Latin works into Old English to educate his people?
A) Bede
B) Alfred the Great
C) Cynewulf
D) Caedmon
Answer: B
Which book is a collection of religious poems including Genesis and Exodus?
A) Nowell Codex
B) Vercelli Book
C) Junius Manuscript
D) Exeter Book
Answer: C
The Exeter Book is a famous collection of—
A) Legal texts
B) Religious sermons
C) Riddles and elegies
D) Royal charters
Answer: C
“Wyrd” in Anglo-Saxon belief refers to—
A) Divine love
B) Destiny or fate
C) Heroic courage
D) Royal power
Answer: B
Anglo-Saxon poetry is preserved mostly in—
A) Oral tradition
B) Greek scrolls
C) Stone tablets
D) Parliamentary records
Answer: A
Which genre best describes Beowulf?
A) Romance
B) Satire
C) Epic
D) Tragedy
Answer: C
The Battle of Maldon commemorates—
A) A fictional event
B) A myth
C) A Viking battle
D) A Christian martyr
Answer: C
What role did scops play in Anglo-Saxon society?
A) Farmers
B) Warriors
C) Priests
D) Poets and storytellers
Answer: D
Who was the king praised for promoting literacy in Old English?
A) Ethelred
B) Offa
C) Alfred
D) Edgar
Answer: C
The setting of Beowulf is mainly in—
A) England
B) Ireland
C) Denmark and Sweden
D) Wales
Answer: C
Which poem is a blend of pagan and Christian imagery?
A) The Seafarer
B) Beowulf
C) The Wife’s Lament
D) All of the above
Answer: D
Anglo-Saxon riddles are preserved in which manuscript?
A) Vercelli Book
B) Junius Manuscript
C) Exeter Book
D) Cotton Library
Answer: C
“Mead-hall” in Beowulf is called—
A) Camelot
B) Heorot
C) Valhalla
D) Meadownook
Answer: B
The dragon in Beowulf represents—
A) The end of paganism
B) Sin and destruction
C) A moral lesson
D) Pure nature
Answer: B
Which poem speaks from a female perspective in exile?
A) The Seafarer
B) The Wanderer
C) The Wife’s Lament
D) The Phoenix
Answer: C
Which Anglo-Saxon work uses dream vision as a technique?
A) Beowulf
B) The Wanderer
C) The Dream of the Rood
D) Genesis B
Answer: C
Bede was based in—
A) Canterbury
B) Lindisfarne
C) Jarrow
D) Winchester
Answer: C
Which text tells of the conversion of Anglo-Saxons to Christianity?
A) The Seafarer
B) The Battle of Maldon
C) Bede’s History
D) The Rood Vision
Answer: C
What is the usual poetic line structure in Old English poetry?
A) Blank verse
B) Four-stress line with caesura
C) Sonnet form
D) Rhyming couplets
Answer: B
Cynewulf wrote poems signed with—
A) His full name
B) Secret code
C) Runic letters
D) Latin symbols
Answer: C
Anglo-Saxon heroic values include—
A) Slavery
B) Chivalry
C) Loyalty and bravery
D) Courtly love
Answer: C
Which form dominates Anglo-Saxon literary writing?
A) Drama
B) Prose fiction
C) Poetry
D) Dialogue
Answer: C
The theme of exile appears in—
A) The Wanderer
B) The Seafarer
C) The Wife’s Lament
D) All of the above
Answer: D
Which animal guards treasure in Beowulf?
A) Wolf
B) Dragon
C) Bear
D) Serpent
Answer: B
The Anglo-Saxon period ends in—
A) 1000 AD
B) 1066 AD
C) 1100 AD
D) 1154 AD
Answer: B
Who defeats Grendel’s mother?
A) Hrothgar
B) Wiglaf
C) Beowulf
D) Unferth
Answer: C
What was a major external threat during the Anglo-Saxon period?
A) Romans
B) Vikings
C) Normans
D) French
Answer: B
The religious tone of The Dream of the Rood is—
A) Pagan
B) Atheist
C) Christian
D) Satirical
Answer: C
Old English poetry was written using—
A) Cyrillic
B) Latin script
C) Runes and Old Latin
D) Greek letters
Answer: C
The Old English term for poet is—
A) Monk
B) Gleeman
C) Scop
D) Skald
Answer: C
Which invaders ended the Anglo-Saxon literary era?
A) Danes
B) Vikings
C) Normans
D) Saxons
Answer: C
Which is an Old English elegy?
A) The Wife’s Lament
B) The Battle of Brunanburh
C) The Ruin
D) A and C
Answer: D
Old English verse was preserved in—
A) Stone carvings
B) Monasteries
C) Church sermons
D) Epic scrolls
Answer: B
Which king promoted English translations of Latin texts?
A) Offa
B) Harold
C) Alfred
D) Edward
Answer: C
Which text personifies the Cross speaking to a dreamer?
A) The Phoenix
B) The Dream of the Rood
C) The Battle of Maldon
D) Bede’s Vision
Answer: B
The heroic code in Beowulf values—
A) Wealth
B) Longevity
C) Honor in death
D) Magic
Answer: C
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles were written to—
A) Predict the future
B) Record royal battles
C) Tell history in Old English
D) Describe animals
Answer: C
Which text mixes Germanic legend with Christian values?
A) The Wanderer
B) Beowulf
C) Genesis B
D) The Phoenix
Answer: B