Literture Final Exam Notes
1st Semester Exam Review Questions English 4
SELECTIONS FOR TESTING
1. Beowulf
2. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”
3. Canterbury Tales “Prologue”
4. “The Pardoner’s Tale” from CT
5. Sonnets
6. Elements of Style
author’s names
Terms (know by definition, characteristics or example).
1. Kenning: two-word poetic renamings of people, places, and things such as the kenning whales’ home for the sea ex from Beowulf: “I have come so far, / Oh shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, / That this one favor you should not refuse me.”
2. Alliteration: the repitition of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables ex from Beowulf: “up from his swamland, sliding silently”
3. Assonance: the repitition of vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed syllables
Ex: “batter these ramparts”
4. Caesuras: rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines. Where the reciter could pause for breath
5. old English: ex: the original telling of Beowulf was in the Old English language, spoken by the Anglo-Saxons during the years 500-1100
6. middle English: ex: Cantebury Tales
7. historical context:
8. legendary hero: larger-than-life character who tries to restore balance to the world
9. epic: a long, narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a heroic figure ex: Beowulf
10. heroic couplet: pair of rhyming lines with 5 stressed syllables each
11. indirect characterization: uses actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s personality ex: He was not gaily dressed. ex2: Children were afraid when he appeared.
12. direct characterization: presents direct statements about a chatacter, such as Chaucer’s statement that the Knight “followed chivalry, / Truth, honor…” ex1: He was an honest worker, good and true
13. pilgrimage: long journey to a shrine or holy place asking for atonement
14. medieval romance: narratives featuring adventure, love, the supernatural, and ideals of chivalry. are
SELECTIONS FOR TESTING
1. Beowulf
2. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”
3. Canterbury Tales “Prologue”
4. “The Pardoner’s Tale” from CT
5. Sonnets
6. Elements of Style
author’s names
Terms (know by definition, characteristics or example).
1. Kenning: two-word poetic renamings of people, places, and things such as the kenning whales’ home for the sea ex from Beowulf: “I have come so far, / Oh shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, / That this one favor you should not refuse me.”
2. Alliteration: the repitition of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables ex from Beowulf: “up from his swamland, sliding silently”
3. Assonance: the repitition of vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed syllables
Ex: “batter these ramparts”
4. Caesuras: rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines. Where the reciter could pause for breath
5. old English: ex: the original telling of Beowulf was in the Old English language, spoken by the Anglo-Saxons during the years 500-1100
6. middle English: ex: Cantebury Tales
7. historical context:
8. legendary hero: larger-than-life character who tries to restore balance to the world
9. epic: a long, narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a heroic figure ex: Beowulf
10. heroic couplet: pair of rhyming lines with 5 stressed syllables each
11. indirect characterization: uses actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s personality ex: He was not gaily dressed. ex2: Children were afraid when he appeared.
12. direct characterization: presents direct statements about a chatacter, such as Chaucer’s statement that the Knight “followed chivalry, / Truth, honor…” ex1: He was an honest worker, good and true
13. pilgrimage: long journey to a shrine or holy place asking for atonement
14. medieval romance: narratives featuring adventure, love, the supernatural, and ideals of chivalry. are