English 12A Semester Test

English 12A Semester Test What is true about both "Beowulf and Grendel" and "Hektor and Achilleus"? - ANS They were preserved through oral tradition. Today many people still value Beowulf, the longer work from which "Beowulf and Grendel" was taken, because the story __________. - ANS shows what life was like in Germany in ancient times Why does Beowulf put aside his weapons when it comes time to fight Grendel? - ANS The monster does not use weaponry, and Beowulf wants to fight him on equal terms. What force drove Greek heroes to make decisions about their place in the world? - ANS honor What characteristic do both Hektor and Achilleus have? - ANS courage Which aspect of society was central during the Middle Ages, the time when The Canterbury Tales was set? - ANS the church Recall Chaucer's description of the doctor who, instead of looking out for the health of patients, prescribes unnecessary medicine to make money. This is an example of __________. - ANS irony What is the main difference between the Parson and the Pardoner? - ANS The Parson serves his parishioners sacrificially: the Pardoner acts on his own behalf. The Wife of Bath interrupts herself during her tale, which results in __________. - ANS a strong sense of the Wife of Bath's character What is the main conflict in the tale that the Wife of Bath tells? - ANS The knight is unwilling to marry the old woman and disregards her. Which historical period did Francesco Petrarcha, or Petrarch, and other early humanists consider a time of great creative and intellectual achievement worth emulating? - ANS the Classical Age Shakespeare wrote his sonnets in which of the following meters? - ANS iambic pentameter In Petrarch's sonnets, the speaker's feelings for his beloved are ______________. - ANS not returned In Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare, the speaker compares his stage of life to one of the four seasons of the year. Which one? - ANS autumn Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 is a poem in which the speaker expresses __________. - ANS the many ways she loves her beloved Which of the following causes major problems for Hamlet throughout Shakespeare's play? - ANS his tendency to procrastinate Hamlet reveals his inner thoughts and feelings and explains the problems he is facing in __________. - ANS the soliloquies he gives Why is Hamlet so interested in the actors who come to Elsinore? - ANS He himself is trying to play a role, and he admires the actors' ability to do so. Which of the following characters serve as foils for Hamlet in the play? - ANS Laertes and Fortinbras Hamlet's behavior at Ophelia's funeral suggests that he __________. - ANS realizes how wrong he was to murder Polonius According to the passage, why did many of the people come to Collister's store? - ANS They hoped to see Collister. In paragraph 1, countenance most nearly means __________. - ANS tolerate Why does the author use the phrase "had a sad and detached expression when they stood alone orin groups"? - ANS to convey the individual isolation of each tree In paragraph 2, insatiable most nearly means __________. - ANS bottomless On the basis of the passage, what can the reader infer about Collister? - ANS He was a mysterious figure. Despite some of their __________ language, Shakespearean plays offer a lot of entertainment for modern audiences. - ANS archaic If you do not try to __________ the use of the muscles in your arm, they might __________ and eventually die. - ANS acclimate...litigate