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Study Guide Questions
1. The earliest people of Great Britain to develop a written literature were the: a. Romans b. Jutes c. Celts d. Danes e. Normans
2. Who was the first Roman to attack Great Britain?
3. Not having a written language prevented the Anglo-Saxons from having a literary tradition. True or false?
4. Which English monk is responsible for the Latin history of early England? a. Godric b. Bede c. Cynewulf d. Cædmon
5. Who was the first-identified Old English poet?
6. What is the great epic of the Anglo-Saxons?
7. Who was the great Old English religious poet, noted for "Elene," "Juliana," and other poems?
8. Which Wessex king stopped the Danish invasion and encouraged the development of Old English literature and literacy?
9. Who brought the curtain down on the era of Old English literature?
10. What language and culture gained ascendancy under the early Norman rulers of England?
11. What are the two oldest universities in England?
12. Who was the first English historian to recall the glorious exploits of King Arthur? a. Bede b. Geoffrey of Monmouth c. Cynewulf d. Oswic of Wessex
13. What were the holiday plays of medieval England?
14. Which English folk hero was immortalized in numerous ballads as the ally of the poor in their struggle against their noble oppressors?
15. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is also considered to be the author of: a. The Brut b. The Vision of Piers Plowman c. The Pearl d. Roman de la Rose
16. Who is generally recognized as the greatest Middle English poet?
17. What is this great poet's most famous work?
18. What revolutionary device did William Caxton introduce to England in 1477?
19. The mystery and morality plays were performed by whom?
20. Which of the Old or Middle English authors or works speaks most directly to you? Explain.
21. Where, in Italy, did the Renaissance get most of its support?
22. What are the two classical languages and cultures of Western Europe?
23. As Christian Renaissance scholars discovered the classical world's belief in the dignity and in the responsibility of people, they developed an overall philosophy. What was this philosophy called?
24. The English scholars who elevated reason above blind belief and advocated education as a way to improve all life were known as the: a. Eton Reformers b. Oxford Reformers c. Cambridge Reformers d. Oxbridge RefoThe E
25. What German monk started the Reformation?
26. Which English monarch led his country into Protestantism?
27. What verse form from Italy did Sir Thomas Wyatt introduce into English poetry?
28. The most famous collection of early Renaissance poetry was Songs and Sonnets,which is also known as ________________________________ .
29. The best of the courtier authors and the patron of many poorer writers of the Elizabethan Age was________________________________________ .
30. Author of The Shepherd's Calendar,The Faerie Queen, a sonnet cycle, and two beautiful wedding songs, which Elizabethan poet is known as the "poet's poet"?
31. Before the first theaters were built, where were many Elizabethan plays performed?
32. Which playwright made blank verse the standard for Elizabethan drama?
33. Who was the dramatic character who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power?
34. Shakespeare's first group of plays, which are about English kings, are referred to as what?
35. Is Twelfth Night a comedy or a tragedy?
36. Which Shakespearean romance takes place upon an enchanted island?
37. Shakespeare's writing output was limited to his plays. True or false?
38. Where did the "Sons of Ben" meet for their informal discussions of poetry?
39. Who translated the Bible into the English language--and was executed as his reward?
40. Which of the Renaissance or Reformation authors or works speaks most directly to you? Explain.
41. What group of Protestants wanted to further simplify the Church of England's rituals?
42. Who was the king when The Authorized Version of the Holy Bible was translated?
43. According to John Donne, why should you not ask for whom the funeral bells toll?
44. What is another name for the style of poetry practiced by the "School of Donne?"
45. Name a Seventeenth Century poet who was influenced by Donne's style.
46. Name the most famous pair of English dramatic collaborators.
47. Who was the great religious poet of the Puritan cause?
48. Who was the political leader of the Puritans?
49. In the years of the Civil War, who was opposed to the Puritans in both politics and art?
50. Which Royalist poet was not a swashbuckling soldier, but the vicar of a small parish church in Devonshire?
51. Who was the itinerant preacher who wrote the popular best seller, The Pilgrim's Progress?
52. What was the name of the country upon the unification of England and Scotland?
53. "To err is human; to forgive divine" was written by which Augustan poet?
54. What is Jonathan Swift's most famous satire on human folly?
55. Who wrote Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews?
56. Who was the literary dictator of mid-century London coffeehouses?
57. Which poet, who foreshadowed the Romantics, was also a talented artist and religious mystic?
58. Robert Burns wrote many poems in the dialect of his land--what land was it?
59. Who wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?
60. Which of the Jacobean or Neoclassical authors or works speaks most directly to you? Explain.
61. Near the beginning of the 19th Century, trends in England toward individualism, democracy, and humanitarian reforms combined with efforts to escape the harsh realities of what overall movement?
62. Who wrote lyrical ballads?
63. Whose poetic autobiography was titled The Prelude?
64. According to Coleridge, who lived in Xanadu?
65. What country did many of the later Romantic poets call home, after they left England?
66. Which British poet died fighting for Greek independence?
67. Which British poet drowned when his boat capsized during a storm?
68. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" was written by whom?
69. Which Romantic novelist specialized in historical novels featuring swashbuckling heroes?
70. The Victorian Age has been called The Golden Age of _____________________ .
71. Who used his writing to call attention to the conditions of the lower strata of English society?
72. Which Victorian poet wrote In Memoriam and The Idylls of the King?
73. Who used dramatic monologues to reveal the innermost thoughts of his characters?
74. Who wrote On the Origins of the Species by Means of Natural Selection?
75. Whose translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam has been popular for nearly 150 years?
76. Who was the fatalistic pessimist who brought more realism to the Victorian novel?
77. Which 20th Century dramatist used his plays as a vehicle for his philosophical beliefs?
78. Who converted the themes of The Odyssey into a 24-hour tour of Dublin?
79. Who was the great Welsh poet who revitalized English literature in the 20th Century?
80. Which of the Romantic, Victorian, or 20th Century authors or works speaks most directly to you? Explain.
© Educational Video Network, Inc. 2005 - www.evndirect.com Your leading source for curriculum-based educational videos and DVDs.

Study Guide Questions