History of English Literature

Mid-Term 1 B

Fill in the blanks with words from the list (3.5 marks)

tongue, through, presents, phases, occupied, movements, growth, after, ancestors,

appreciative, bards, characteristics, chiefs, earliest

With these Periods or Ages, we can follow the growth of English literature.

These literary movements are also named after centuries, such as the Seventeenth
Century Literature.

The people in Denmark are very appreciative and send Beowulf home with many
presents.

The history of English literature has passed through many phases. Each phase has its
own characteristics.

The earliest phase of English literature started with the Angles and Saxons (the
ancestors of the English race).

Some of these phases are named after certain literary phases, such as the Romantic
Age.

Some of the Anglo-Saxon chiefs were also bards.

English was the common name and tongue of these tribes. And the land which they
occupied was called Engle-land (now: England).

Say whether the following statements are True or False (2 marks)

1
Britain was not a Roman Empire province in the past. F

Old English is very much like the language we speak today. T

Romantic writers focused on feeling and imagination. T

The people in Denmark celebrated the killing of Grendel. T

A century is a period of one hundred years. T

A millennium is a period of ten thousand years. F

Beowulf is similar to Antara Ibn Shaddad’s poetry. T

Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English with about 3,000 lines! T

Match parts of sentences in A with their completion in B (2 marks)

A B
1- The hero of the poem is a prince a- Beowulf kills the dragon.
named Beowulf… b- and says he'll help get rid of
2- After many years of peace,… Grendel.
3- Beowulf goes to Denmark with a c- a dragon attacks Beowulf's
group of soldiers… kingdom.
4- In a brutal battle,… d- who rules over the Geats near
Denmark.

A 1 2 3 4
B d c b a

Answer the following questions (3.5 marks)

What are the characteristics of the Romantic period of English literature?

It emphasized feeling and imagination… Writers looked to nature for insight into the
divine…

What are the 3 Germanic tribes that invaded England?

1- Angles 2- Saxons 3- Jutes

2
Describe them using 3 adjectives

1- fearless 2- adventurous 3- brave

What are the four countries that make up the United Kingdom?

1- England 3- Wales

2- Scotland 4- Northern Ireland

What is Beowulf?

Beowulf is an epic poem that tells a story about a hero…

Who is Beowulf?

Beowulf is a good prince who has to fight evil monsters and dragons…

Fill in the table with the appropriate synonyms (4 marks)

immortal, intelligence, intuition, without feelings, violent, understanding, therefore,

supernatural, spiritual, so, perception, knowledge, as a result, awareness, cruel,
heavenly, holy

insight divine thus brutal

-awareness - immortal - therefore - without feelings

- intuition - supernatural - so - violent

- intelligence - spiritual - as a result - cruel

- understanding - heavenly

- perception - holy

- knowledge