English 4 Midterm Review

Which is the best definition of an epic?

Which of these is a characteristic of most epics?

Which statement is true of most Anglo-Saxon lyrics?

Which statement is true of historical writing from early times?

What quality does Beowulf share with most other legendary heroes?

Which of these details in the passage from Beowulf is an example of assonance?

Which phrase in the passage from Beowulf is an example of a kenning?

How might an eyewitness account of an event differ from an account of the same event written years later?

Based on your knowledge of the root -sol-, in which situation would you offer someone solace?

Based on your knowledge of the Latin root -sol-, choose the best paraphrase of this sentence.

“I tried to console Aunt Betty during her illness”

Which of the following lines from the stanza contains figurative language?

Based on your knowledge of the Latin root -dict-, what does verdict mean?

Venerable

Which of these text aids would probably give you the best general understanding of the poem?

Elizabethan drama was written in which of the following forms?

For which of the following is a character in a drama usually alone onstage?

In Shakespeare’s tragedies, which is often true of the lower-ranking characters who provide comic relief?

A sceptre ( or scepter) is a rod or staff held by a king as a symbol of his authority.

What can readers infer that Portia means by”this sceptred sway” in line 10?

Based on your understanding of the root -stat-, what do you think status means in the following sentence? ” The Joneses saw owning a large home as a symbol of their status in the community.”

Vocalize

Which of these words is a synonym for sovereign?

Which sentence contains a subordinating conjunction?

What is the subordinating conjunction in the following sentence?

What creates irony in a work of literature?

Which of the following does not usually contribute to a writer’s style?

Which of the following is not a characteristic of parody?

Which of these forms was used by English poets in mock epics?

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of an epic?

Which of the characteristics most distinguishes an epic from a mock epic?

Why should a reader pay attention to text features such as background and footnotes?

What does Johnson’s dictionary entry reveal about the status of athletes in his society?

Why does Beowulf come to see Hrothgar?

How do you know that Beowulf is an honorable man?

What weapon does Beowulf use to kill Grendel?

To what does the poet give credit for Beowulf’s victory over Grendel’s mother?

Why does Wiglaf tell his comrades they should help Beowulf fight the dragon?

What does it mean when Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold necklace?

Trying to open/ a path for his evil soul

In “A Modest Proposal”, what does Swift propose doing to solve the problem of poverty in Ireland?

Swift includes many facts and statistics in “A Modest Proposal.” What seems to be his purpose in including this information?

What is Chaucer’s main reason for writing about the pilgrimage in the Prologue?

What was the purpose of the trip?

What is Chaucer’s primary theme in the Prologue?

What do you know about the woman from Bath based on these lines? “In all the parish not a dame dared stir/ Towards the alter steps in front of her”

According to the Prologue, how many tales will each pilgrim tell on the journey?

Which of these quotations from the Prologue is an example of direct characterization?

What does the narrator mean in saying these lines from the Prologue? ‘ but first i beg of you, in courtesy, / not to condemn me as unmannerly / if i speak plainly and with no concealing / and give account of all of their words and dealings.’

Whom do the pilgrims accept as their leader in the Prologue?

What does the narrator mean in the Prologue when he says the following about Friar? ‘ but anywhere a profit might accrue / courteous he was and lowly of service too’

What is the main theme of Act 1 in The Tragedy of Macbeth?

What do you know about King Duncan?

What does Macbeth think about killing King Duncan?

Which of the following is an example of a stage direction?

Elizabethan writers modeled their tragedies on plays from where?

Which was true for those who watched a play at the Globe Theater during Shakespeare’s day?

What is the main idea of Act 2 of the Tragedy of Macbeth?

Why does Lady Macbeth drug the servants in scene 2?

How should you read a blank verse to make sense of it?

Why does Lady Macbeth choose not to kill King Duncan herself?

What does Macbeth mean when he says he will “sleep no more”?

What does Macbeth mean when he says the blood on his hands will redden all the seas?

What is another name for blank verse?

Why do Ross and Macduff think King Duncan’s sons have killed his father?

What is the main purpose of act 3 of The Tragedy of Macbeth?

Why does Macbeth decide to kill Banquo?

How did Macbeth convince the two murderers to kill Banquo?

During the banquet, Macbeth becomes unhappy and distracted. Lady Macbeth says to him, “gentle my lord, sleek o’er you rugged looks; / be bright and jovial among your guests tonight.” What does she mean?

Why does Macbeth begin to act so oddly at the banquet?

The murderer appears at the banquet to report to Macbeth. He says that Banquo is dead but not his son Fleance. Macbeth says in an Aside, ” the worm that’s fled / Hath nature that in time will venom breed, / no teeth for th’ present” what does Macbeth mea?

At the end of the banquet scene, Macbeth tells his wife that Macduff did not come to the celebration. Then he says that “we are yet but young in deed.” What does he mean?

As a result of his guilt, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo. What literary elemet does this event illustrate?

At the end of act 3, Macbeth plans to visit the witches once more. What does he want to learn?

How has Macbeth changed between the beginning of act 1 and the end of act 3?

At the beginning of act IV, a witch calls out ” something wicked this way comes” just as Macbeth approaches. What can you infer from her comment?

What kind of person is Macduff’s son?

To what senses do these lines appeal? ‘ fillet of a fenny snake, / in the caldron boil and bake; / eye of newt and toe of frog, / wool of bat and tongue of dog, / adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting’

What do the witches tell Macbeth to do?

What is imagery?

What image is used repeatedly throughout the play?

What plan do Macduff and Malcolm settle on at the end of act IV?

What happens to Macduff’s wife and child?

Why does Macduff go to London?

What can you infer from the doctor’s treatment of Lady Macbeth about the practice of medicine during that time of the play?

At the beginning of act v, the waiting-gentlewoman tells the doctor about Lady Macbeth’s strange behavior. Why does he tell the gentlewoman to ‘remove from her the means of all annoyance’?

In the opening scene at Dunsinane Castle, Macbeth has no patience for his servant. He says, ‘go prick thy face and over-red thy fear. / thou lily-livered boy.’ What does his treatment of the servant tell you about how Macbeth’s character has changed?

Why does Malcolm tell his soldiers to cut down branches of trees to carry as they march?

When does Macbeth first realize that he has been tricked by the prophecies of the witches?

In the final battle, Macbeth fights bravely, even after he learns he will probably die. How does his courage affect the reader?

As Macbeth awaits the battle at Dunsinane Castle, he demonstrates that he is no longer touched by either fear or horror. Which of the play’s themes does this behavior underscore?

Which words best describe the three rioters in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?

Reread these lines that are spoken by the old man in ‘the pardoner’s tale’. What does he mean? “about the earth, which is my mother’s gate, / knock-knocking with my staff from night to noon / and crying; ‘mother, open to me soon! / look at me mother, wont you let me in?”

What does the young rioter decide while on his way into town for food and wine in ” the pardoner’s tale”?

Which word best describes the reason that Beowulf hangs Grendel’s arm in Hrothgar’s mead-hall?

In which situation might someone most need solace?

When Beowulf requests that he alone ‘may purge all evil from this hall,’ what does he mean by purge?

Which of the following passages contains a coordinating conjunction?

Which of the following passages contains a coordinating conjunction?

Which sentence incorrectly uses the italicized vocabulary word?

Which word best completes this sentence?
Swift proposes making young children of the poop a(n) ____ that can be sold for profit.

Which of the following words is closest in meaning to schism?

Which sentence uses the italicized word correctly?

What word means almost the same as sanguine?

In standing by to carve meat for his father at the table, the young Squire is showing himself to be ___.

A sanguine person is usually ____.

Which word is closest in meaning to sovereign?

Macbeth used words that ____ in order to deceive Duncan.

Which word is closest to the meaning to predominance?

Which sentence uses the word palpable correctly?

Macbeth wants a position of ____ in the kingdom.

To creep through the castle without awakening anyone, Macbeth’s footsteps must be ___.

Which word is closest in meaning to Malevolence?

Macbeth fears Banquo’s ___ heart.

At the banquet, Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to be ____.

During Macbeth’s ___ rule, many people died due to others’ treachery.

Which word is closest in meaning to avarice?

Macbeth’s evil deeds have a ___ effect on Scotland.

The witches add wool of bat, tongue of dog, and other ___ ingredients to their caldron.

Malcolm believes that Macbeth’s ___ made him desire others’ jewels, houses, and titles.

The trees of Birnham Wood moving toward Dunsinane are ____ of Macbeth’s downfall.

Lady Macbeth’s guilt causes her a great ___ of spirit.

The witches dance wildly around their caldron in a ___ frenzy.

In ‘the pardoner’s take’ when the murderer sauntered back to his friends, he ___.

The ___ sold the young rioter a strong poison that he mixed with wine.

Which word is closest in meaning to deftly?

The old man’s beard was thick and ____.

How can the reader tell that Beowulf is a legendary story?

Which of the following best summarizes the theme of Beowulf?

Which of the following lines from Beowulf contains an example of a caesura?

Why is it ironic that after his death the Geats build a tower to memorialize Beowulf?

Which phrase best paraphrases the underlined words in this quotation from the peom?
…. they could hack at Grendel / from every side, trying to open / a path for his evil soul, but their points / could not hurt him…

When used to describe the sea, the phrase “whale’s home” is an example of

In the story of how the dispute arose between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians, the chief objects to Swift’s satire are

The Lilliputian wars are a satire on

Whom or what might Swift be satirizing with the line” and it would be hard indeed if so remote a prince’s notions of virtue and vice were to be offered as a standard for all mankind’?

Which word is closest in meaning to deftly?

The trees of Birnham Wood moving toward Dunsinane are ____ of Macbeth’s downfall.