100 MCQs on Anglo Saxon, Anglo Norman & Medieval Literature

1. Which epic poem is attributed to the Anglo-Saxon period?

   a) Beowulf

   b) The Canterbury Tales

   c) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

   d) Le Morte d'Arthur

   Correct Answer: a) Beowulf

2. Who is the author of "The Canterbury Tales"?

   a) Geoffrey Chaucer

   b) William Langland

   c) Thomas Malory

   d) Sir Thomas More

   Correct Answer: a) Geoffrey Chaucer

3. In Anglo-Saxon literature, what is a scop?

   a) A knight

   b) A poet

   c) A king

   d) A monk

   Correct Answer: b) A poet

4. What is the name of the epic poem that features the warrior Beowulf?

   a) Beowulf

   b) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

   c) The Faerie Queene

   d) Canterbury Tales

   Correct Answer: a) Beowulf

5. Which work is considered the first great work of English literature?

   a) Beowulf

   b) The Canterbury Tales

   c) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

   d) Le Morte d'Arthur

   Correct Answer: a) Beowulf

6. Who wrote "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?

   a) Anonymous

   b) Geoffrey Chaucer

   c) William Shakespeare

   d) Marie de France

   Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

7. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts events leading up to which historical event?

   a) Battle of Hastings

   b) Magna Carta

   c) The Black Death

   d) The Crusades

   Correct Answer: a) Battle of Hastings

8. Which medieval romance tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?

   a) Le Morte d'Arthur

   b) Beowulf

   c) The Canterbury Tales

   d) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

   Correct Answer: a) Le Morte d'Arthur

9. Which literary work is associated with the Norman Conquest of England in 1066?

   a) Beowulf

   b) The Canterbury Tales

   c) The Song of Roland

   d) The Battle of Maldon

   Correct Answer: c) The Song of Roland

10. Who is the protagonist in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?

    a) Sir Gawain

    b) King Arthur

    c) Beowulf

    d) Lancelot

    Correct Answer: a) Sir Gawain

11. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The Vision of Piers Plowman"?

    a) William Langland

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) John Gower

    d) Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) William Langland

12. What is the genre of "The Canterbury Tales"?

    a) Epic poem

    b) Ballad

    c) Frame narrative

    d) Sonnet sequence

    Correct Answer: c) Frame narrative

13. What literary form is "Beowulf"?

    a) Epic poem

    b) Sonnet sequence

    c) Allegory

    d) Morality play

    Correct Answer: a) Epic poem

14. Which medieval writer is associated with the tale of "Tristan and Isolde"?

    a) Marie de France

    b) Thomas Malory

    c) Gottfried von Strassburg

    d) Chrétien de Troyes

    Correct Answer: c) Gottfried von Strassburg

15. Who is the author of "Le Morte d'Arthur"?

    a) Thomas Malory

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) Marie de France

    Correct Answer: a) Thomas Malory

16. In which language did Geoffrey Chaucer write "The Canterbury Tales"?

    a) Middle English

    b) Old English

    c) French

    d) Latin

    Correct Answer: a) Middle English

17. What is the genre of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?

    a) Romance

    b) Tragedy

    c) Comedy

    d) Allegory

    Correct Answer: a) Romance

18. Who is the author of "The Divine Comedy"?

    a) Dante Alighieri

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Dante Alighieri

19. Which medieval work features the characters Everyman and Death?

    a) Everyman

    b) The Faerie Queene

    c) Le Morte d'Arthur

    d) The Divine Comedy

    Correct Answer: a) Everyman

20. Who is the protagonist of "Le Morte d'Arthur"?

    a) King Arthur

    b) Sir Gawain

    c) Sir Lancelot

    d) Sir Galahad

    Correct Answer: a) King Arthur

21. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The Book of the Duchess"?

    a) Geoffrey Chaucer

    b) William Langland

    c) John Gower

    d) Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) Geoffrey Chaucer

22. What is the genre of "The Vision of Piers Plowman"?

    a) Allegory

    b) Romance

    c) Epic poem

    d) Satire

    Correct Answer: a) Allegory

23. Which medieval poem tells the story of a brave knight who battles a supernatural foe?

    a) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    b) Beowulf

    c) The Divine Comedy

    d) The Faerie Queene

    Correct Answer: a) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

24. Who is the author of "The Faerie Queene"?

    a) Edmund Spenser

    b) William Langland

    c) John Gower

    d) Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) Edmund Spenser

25. What is the setting of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?

    a) Camelot

    b) Troy

    c) Greece

    d) Scotland

    Correct Answer: a) Camelot

26. What is the form of "The Divine Comedy"?

    a) Epic poem

    b) Sonnet sequence

    c) Morality play

    d) Frame narrative

    Correct Answer: a) Epic poem

27. Which medieval writer is known for his work "Confessio Amantis"?

    a) John Gower

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) John Gower

28. Which medieval writer is known for his work "The High History of the Holy Graal," a prose romance about the quest for the Holy Grail?

    a) Unknown author

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Unknown author. 

29. What is the primary theme of "Beowulf"?

    a) Loyalty and bravery

    b) Courtly love

    c) Religious devotion

    d) Political intrigue

    Correct Answer: a) Loyalty and bravery

30. Which Anglo-Saxon king is believed to have been the patron of the Beowulf manuscript?

    a) Alfred the Great

    b) Æthelred the Unready

    c) Offa of Mercia

    d) Edgar the Peaceful

    Correct Answer: a) Alfred the Great

31. In Anglo-Saxon literature, what is a kenning?

    a) A type of epic poem

    b) A form of dramatic monologue

    c) A figurative expression

    d) A type of medieval drama

    Correct Answer: c) A figurative expression

32. Which Anglo-Saxon manuscript famously contains "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer"?

    a) The Exeter Book

    b) The Vercelli Book

    c) The Nowell Codex

    d) The Junius Manuscript

    Correct Answer: a) The Exeter Book

33. What is the genre of "The Dream of the Rood"?

    a) Epic poem

    b) Elegy

    c) Ballad

    d) Sonnet sequence

    Correct Answer: b) Elegy

34. Who is the protagonist of "The Dream of the Rood"?

    a) The Dreamer

    b) The Rood (Cross)

    c) Beowulf

    d) Sir Gawain

    Correct Answer: b) The Rood (Cross)

35. In "The Dream of the Rood," what significant event is narrated from the perspective of the cross?

    a) The Crucifixion of Christ

    b) The Resurrection of Christ

    c) The Last Supper

    d) The Ascension of Christ

    Correct Answer: a) The Crucifixion of Christ

36. Which Anglo-Saxon king is associated with the Old English epic poem "Beowulf"?

    a) Hrothgar

    b) Hrothulf

    c) Hygelac

    d) Heremod

    Correct Answer: c) Hygelac

37. In "Beowulf," who is Grendel's first victim in Heorot?

    a) Aeschere

    b) Hrothgar

    c) Unferth

    d) Wealhtheow

    Correct Answer: a) Aeschere

38. What is the name of Beowulf's sword that he uses to kill Grendel's mother?

    a) Hrunting

    b) Excalibur

    c) Nægling

    d) Joyeuse

    Correct Answer: a) Hrunting

39. Who is Beowulf's father?

    a) Ecgtheow

    b) Hrothgar

    c) Wiglaf

    d) Unferth

    Correct Answer: a) Ecgtheow

40. In "Beowulf," what is the name of the dragon that Beowulf fights?

    a) Firedrake

    b) Fafnir

    c) Smaug

    d) Naglfar

    Correct Answer: a) Firedrake

41. What is the name of the mead hall built by Hrothgar in "Beowulf"?

    a) Heorot

    b) Meadwood

    c) Wulfgar

    d) Herot

    Correct Answer: a) Heorot

42. Who composed the epic poem "The Song of Roland"?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Marie de France

    c) Chrétien de Troyes

    d) Gottfried von Strassburg

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

43. "The Song of Roland" is based on which historical event?

    a) The Battle of Hastings

    b) The Crusades

    c) The Norman Conquest

    d) The Viking Invasions

    Correct Answer: b) The Crusades

44. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The Pearl"?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

45. Which medieval work features a journey to the afterlife guided by Virgil?

    a) The Divine Comedy

    b) The Canterbury Tales

    c) Everyman

    d) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    Correct Answer: a) The Divine Comedy

46. Who is the main character of "Everyman"?

    a) Everyman

    b) Death

    c) God

    d) Good Deeds

    Correct Answer: a) Everyman

47. Who wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy"?

    a) Boethius

    b) Augustine of Hippo

    c) Thomas Aquinas

    d) Anselm of Canterbury

    Correct Answer: a) Boethius

48. What is the central theme of "The Consolation of Philosophy"?

    a) The nature of love

    b) The problem of evil

    c) The pursuit of wisdom and happiness

    d) The conflict between faith and reason

    Correct Answer: c) The pursuit of wisdom and happiness

49. In "The Faerie Queene," what does the character Redcrosse represent?

    a) Holiness

    b) Wisdom

    c) Strength

    d) Justice

    Correct Answer: a) Holiness

50. Who is the main antagonist in "The Faerie Queene"?

    a) Duessa

    b) Archimago

    c) Una

    d) Britomart

    Correct Answer: a) Duessa

51. Who is the patron saint of England mentioned in "The Faerie Queene"?

    a) Saint George

    b) Saint Patrick

    c) Saint Andrew

    d) Saint David

    Correct Answer: a) Saint George

52. Which allegorical figure represents the virtue of temperance in "The Faerie Queene"?

    a) Sir Guyon

    b) Sir Artegall

    c) Sir Calidore

    d) Sir Satyrane

    Correct Answer: a) Sir Guyon

53. In "The Faerie Queene," what does the character Una symbolize?

    a) Truth

    b) Beauty

    c) Strength

    d) Justice

    Correct Answer: a) Truth

54. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The Siege of Jerusalem"?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

55. Who is the protagonist of "The Siege of Jerusalem"?

    a) Vespasian

    b) Titus

    c) Godfrey of Bouillon

    d) Saladin

    Correct Answer: c) Godfrey of Bouillon

56. Which medieval work is a collection of stories about knights on a quest for the Holy Grail?

    a) Le Morte d'Arthur

    b) The Canterbury Tales

    c) The Divine Comedy

    d) The Faerie Queene

    Correct Answer: a) Le Morte d'Arthur

57. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The King's Quair"?

    a) James I of Scotland

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) John Gower

    d) William Langland

    Correct Answer: a) James I of Scotland

58. Who is the author of "The Vision of William concerning Piers Plowman"?

    a) William Langland

    b) John Gower

    c) Thomas Malory

    d) Geoffrey Chaucer

    Correct Answer: a) William Langland

59. Which allegorical figure represents greed in "The Vision of Piers Plowman"?

    a) Gluttony

    b) Sloth

    c) Avarice

    d) Envy

    Correct Answer: c) Avarice

60. What is the primary theme of "The Vision of Piers Plowman"?

    a) Social justice and morality

    b) Courtly love

    c) Political intrigue

    d) Religious devotion

    Correct Answer: a) Social justice and morality

61. Which medieval English writer is known for his work "The Owl and the Nightingale"?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

62. Who is the author of "The Cloud of Unknowing"?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

63. Which medieval work is a guide to mystical contemplation?

    a) "The Cloud of Unknowing"

    b) "The Canterbury Tales"

    c) "Le Morte d'Arthur"

    d) "The Divine Comedy"

    Correct Answer: a) "The Cloud of Unknowing"

64. Who is the protagonist of "The Cloud of Unknowing"?

    a) The Seeker

    b) The Pilgrim

    c) The Mystic

    d) The Contemplative

    Correct Answer: c) The Mystic

65. What is the primary theme of "The Cloud of Unknowing"?

    a) The nature of love

    b) The pursuit of wisdom and happiness

    c) The problem of evil

    d) Mystical union with God

    Correct Answer: d) Mystical union with God

66. Which medieval work features a character named Gawain?

    a) "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

    b) "Beowulf"

    c) "The Canterbury Tales"

    d) "Le Morte d'Arthur"

    Correct Answer: a) "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

67. What is the color of the Green Knight's skin in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?

    a) Green

    b) Blue

    c) Red

    d) White

    Correct Answer: a) Green

68. Who is the author of "The Book of Margery Kempe"?

    a) Margery Kempe

    b) Julian of Norwich

    c) Christine de Pizan

    d) Hildegard of Bingen

    Correct Answer: a) Margery Kempe

69. Which medieval work is considered one of the earliest surviving autobiographies in English?

    a) "The Book of Margery Kempe"

    b) "The Consolation of Philosophy"

    c) "The Divine Comedy"

    d) "The Canterbury Tales"

    Correct Answer: a) "The Book of Margery Kempe"

70. Which character in "The Canterbury Tales" is known for his cowardice and dishonesty?

    a) The Pardoner

    b) The Summoner

    c) The Miller

    d) The Reeve

    Correct Answer: a) The Pardoner

71. Which tale in "The Canterbury Tales" features a character named Absalom?

    a) The Miller's Tale

    b) The Pardoner's Tale

    c) The Wife of Bath's Tale

    d) The Reeve's Tale

    Correct Answer: a) The Miller's Tale

72. Who is the author of "The Parliament of Fowls"?

    a) Geoffrey Chaucer

    b) William Langland

    c) John Gower

    d) Sir Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) Geoffrey Chaucer

73. In "The Parliament of Fowls," what event are the birds gathering for?

    a) To choose their mates

    b) To elect a new king

    c) To plan an attack on humans

    d) To seek advice from a wise owl

    Correct Answer: a) To choose their mates

74. Who is the protagonist of "Troilus and Criseyde"?

    a) Troilus

    b) Criseyde

    c) Pandarus

    d) Diomede

    Correct Answer: a) Troilus

75. Who is the author of "Troilus and Criseyde"?

    a) Geoffrey Chaucer

    b) William Langland

    c) John Gower

    d) Sir Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) Geoffrey Chaucer

76. What is the genre of "Troilus and Criseyde"?

    a) Romance

    b) Epic poem

    c) Tragedy

    d) Allegory

    Correct Answer: a) Romance

77. In "The Canterbury Tales," which pilgrim tells the story of a rooster named Chauntecleer?

    a) The Nun's Priest

    b) The Pardoner

    c) The Summoner

    d) The Parson

    Correct Answer: a) The Nun's Priest

78. Which tale in "The Canterbury Tales" is a mock-heroic fable?

    a) The Nun's Priest's Tale

    b) The Pardoner's Tale

    c) The Wife of Bath's Tale

    d) The Knight's Tale

    Correct Answer: a) The Nun's Priest's Tale

79. Who is the central character in "The Wife of Bath's Tale"?

    a) Alison

    b) Jankyn

    c) Arthur

    d) Robin

    Correct Answer: a) Alison

80. Who is the author of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," a medieval romance featuring King Arthur's knight Sir Gawain?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

81. In "The Knight's Tale," which two knights fall in love with the same woman?

    a) Palamon and Arcite

    b) Theseus and Pirithous

    c) Egeus and Hippolyta

    d) Jupiter and Mars

    Correct Answer: a) Palamon and Arcite

82. Who is known as the Scottish Chaucerian due to his imitation of Chaucer's style?

    a) Robert Henryson

    b) William Dunbar

    c) Gavin Douglas

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: b) William Dunbar

83. Which Scottish Chaucerian poet is famous for his work "The Testament of Cresseid"?

    a) Robert Henryson

    b) William Dunbar

    c) Gavin Douglas

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: a) Robert Henryson

84. In "The Testament of Cresseid," what happens to Cresseid after the events of "Troilus and Criseyde"?

    a) She dies of grief

    b) She becomes a nun

    c) She becomes a prostitute

    d) She marries another man

    Correct Answer: c) She becomes a prostitute

85. Who is the protagonist of "The Testament of Cresseid"?

    a) Cresseid

    b) Troilus

    c) Diomede

    d) Criseyde

    Correct Answer: a) Cresseid

86. Which Scottish Chaucerian poet wrote "The Kingis Quair"?

    a) James I of Scotland

    b) William Dunbar

    c) Gavin Douglas

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: a) James I of Scotland

87. In "The Kingis Quair," who does the poet fall in love with?

    a) An angel

    b) A fairy queen

    c) A noble lady

    d) A peasant girl

    Correct Answer: c) A noble lady

88. Who is the author of "The Thistle and the Rose"?

    a) William Dunbar

    b) James I of Scotland

    c) Gavin Douglas

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: a) William Dunbar

89. What is the primary theme of "The Thistle and the Rose"?

    a) Nationalism

    b) Courtly love

    c) Religious devotion

    d) Political intrigue

    Correct Answer: a) Nationalism

90. Which Scottish Chaucerian poet translated Virgil's "Aeneid" into Scots?

    a) Gavin Douglas

    b) William Dunbar

    c) James I of Scotland

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: a) Gavin Douglas

91. Which Scottish Chaucerian poet is known for his work "The Palis of Honoure"?

    a) Gavin Douglas

    b) William Dunbar

    c) James I of Scotland

    d) John Barbour

    Correct Answer: b) William Dunbar

92. What is the central theme of "The Palis of Honoure"?

    a) Courtly love

    b) Religious devotion

    c) Political intrigue

    d) Moral allegory

    Correct Answer: d) Moral allegory

93. Who is the author of "The Song of Roland," an epic poem that celebrates the heroic deeds of Charlemagne's knight Roland?

    a) Anonymous

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Anonymous

94. Which medieval writer is famous for his work "The Vision Concerning Piers Plowman," an allegorical narrative poem?

    a) William Langland

    b) John Gower

    c) Geoffrey Chaucer

    d) Thomas Malory

    Correct Answer: a) William Langland

95. Who wrote "The Romance of the Rose," a medieval French poem that was later translated into English by Chaucer?

    a) Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun

    b) Marie de France

    c) Chrétien de Troyes

    d) Gottfried von Strassburg

    Correct Answer: a) Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun

96. Which medieval writer is known for his collection of romantic poems, including "Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart" and "Yvain, the Knight of the Lion"?

    a) Chrétien de Troyes

    b) Marie de France

    c) Gottfried von Strassburg

    d) Wolfram von Eschenbach

    Correct Answer: a) Chrétien de Troyes

97. Who authored "The Lais of Marie de France," a collection of narrative poems written in Old French and known for their courtly love themes?

    a) Marie de France

    b) Chrétien de Troyes

    c) Geoffrey Chaucer

    d) William Langland

    Correct Answer: a) Marie de France

98. Which medieval writer is known for his work "The Divine Comedy," an epic poem describing the author's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven?

    a) Dante Alighieri

    b) Giovanni Boccaccio

    c) Petrarch

    d) Francesco Petrarca

    Correct Answer: a) Dante Alighieri

99. Who authored "The Consolation of Philosophy," a philosophical work that reflects on life, fortune, and free will?

    a) Boethius

    b) Augustine of Hippo

    c) Thomas Aquinas

    d) Anselm of Canterbury

    Correct Answer: a) Boethius

100. Which medieval writer is known for his collection of moral allegories, including "The Castle of Perseverance" and "Mankind"?

    a) Unknown author

    b) Geoffrey Chaucer

    c) William Langland

    d) John Gower

    Correct Answer: a) Unknown author