UGC NET MCQs on Anglo-Saxon Age
1. The Anglo-Saxon
period roughly spans:
A. 410–1066
B. 450–1100
C. 500–1200
D. 600–1400
Answer: A
2. The end of the Anglo-Saxon period
is marked by:
A. Roman invasion
B. Norman Conquest
C. Viking invasion
D. Renaissance
Answer: B (1066 – Norman Conquest)
3. Which tribes primarily formed
Anglo-Saxon England?
A. Romans, Greeks, Persians
B. Angles, Saxons, Jutes
C. Danes, Normans, Celts
D. Franks, Goths, Huns
Answer: B
4. The epic Beowulf belongs to:
A. Middle English
B. Old English
C. Modern English
D. Renaissance English
Answer: B (Beowulf)
5. The author of Beowulf is:
A. Known
B. Anonymous
C. Caedmon
D. Bede
Answer: B
6. Which theme is central to Beowulf?
A. Romantic love
B. Heroism and fate
C. Satire
D. Political reform
Answer: B
7. Who is considered the first
English poet?
A. Geoffrey
Chaucer
B. Caedmon
C. Bede
D. Cynewulf
Answer: B
8. Caedmon’s work is primarily:
A. Secular
B. Religious
C. Satirical
D. Political
Answer: B
9. Who wrote Ecclesiastical
History of the English People?
A. Alfred the
Great
B. Bede
C. Cynewulf
D. Wulfstan
Answer: B
10. Old English poetry is
characterized by:
A. Rhyme scheme
B. Alliteration
C. Blank verse
D. Free verse
Answer: B
11. “Caesura” in Old English poetry
refers to:
A. Rhyme
B. Pause in a line
C. Metaphor
D. Repetition
Answer: B
12. A “kenning” is:
A. A rhyme
B. A compound metaphor
C. A stanza
D. A refrain
Answer: B
13. Which work is a heroic elegy?
A. The Wanderer
B. The Faerie Queene
C. Paradise Lost
D. The Canterbury Tales
Answer: A
14. Which poem reflects exile and
loss?
A. The Seafarer
B. Lycidas
C. Kubla Khan
D. Ode to a Nightingale
Answer: A
15. Cynewulf is known for:
A. Writing romances
B. Signing his poems in runes
C. Writing drama
D. Translating Latin texts
Answer: B
16. Which king promoted learning and
translation?
A. King Alfred
the Great
B. King Harold
C. King Edward
D. King Canute
Answer: A
17. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is:
A. A poem
B. A historical record
C. A novel
D. A play
Answer: B
18. “Wyrd” in Anglo-Saxon literature
means:
A. Love
B. Fate
C. War
D. Death
Answer: B
19. The dominant religion before
Christianization was:
A. Islam
B. Paganism
C. Hinduism
D. Buddhism
Answer: B
20. The conversion to Christianity
influenced:
A. Only politics
B. Only economy
C. Literature and themes
D. Nothing
Answer: C
21. Which poem is a dream vision?
A. The Dream of
the Rood
B. Beowulf
C. The Wanderer
D. The Seafarer
Answer: A
22. Old English language is closest
to:
A. Latin
B. Germanic languages
C. French
D. Greek
Answer: B
23. Which invaders influenced Anglo-Saxon
England later?
A. Greeks
B. Vikings
C. Egyptians
D. Chinese
Answer: B
24. The Battle of Hastings (1066)
was fought between:
A. Romans and Saxons
B. Vikings and Danes
C. Harold II and William
D. Alfred and Danes
Answer: C (Battle of Hastings)
25. Anglo-Saxon literature is mostly:
A. Oral in origin
B. Printed
C. Digital
D. Dramatic
Answer: A
UGC NET PYQs
(Anglo-Saxon Age)
1. Which of the following is the
earliest extant epic in English?
A. The Canterbury
Tales
B. Beowulf
C. Paradise Lost
D. Faerie Queene
Answer: B
2. Who among the following is
associated with Anglo-Saxon prose?
A. Geoffrey Chaucer
B. Bede
C. William Shakespeare
D. John Milton
Answer: B
3. Which literary device dominates
Old English poetry?
A. Rhyme
B. Alliteration
C. Blank verse
D. Assonance
Answer: B
4. The concept of “wyrd” refers to:
A. Nature
B. Destiny
C. War
D. Love
Answer: B
5. Which of the following works is
attributed to Cynewulf?
A. Christ II
B. Beowulf
C. The Wanderer
D. The Seafarer
Answer: A
6. Who translated many Latin works
into Old English?
A. Alfred the
Great
B. Bede
C. Caedmon
D. Cynewulf
Answer: A
7. Which poem is an elegy expressing
exile?
A. The Wanderer
B. Beowulf
C. Christ
D. Genesis
Answer: A
8. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is:
A. A religious text
B. A poetic anthology
C. A historical record
D. A drama
Answer: C
9. The Norman Conquest (1066) led to:
A. Rise of Old English
B. Decline of Old English
C. Spread of Latin
D. End of Christianity
Answer: B (Norman Conquest)
10. Old English belongs to which
language family?
A. Romance
B. Germanic
C. Slavic
D. Celtic
Answer: B
11. The extant manuscript of Beowulf is contained in:
A. Junius Manuscript
B. Exeter Book
C. Vercelli Book
D. Nowell Codex
Answer: D
12. The Dream of the Rood is preserved in which
manuscript?
A. Exeter Book
B. Vercelli Book
C. Junius Manuscript
D. Nowell Codex
Answer: B
13. Which manuscript is primarily an anthology of elegies
and riddles?
A. Junius Manuscript
B. Exeter Book
C. Nowell Codex
D. Vercelli Book
Answer: B
14. The manuscript also known as the “Caedmon Manuscript”
is:
A. Exeter Book
B. Junius Manuscript
C. Vercelli Book
D. Nowell Codex
Answer: B
15. Assertion (A): Most Old English poetry survives in four manuscripts.
Reason (R): These are the Junius, Exeter, Vercelli, and Nowell codices.
A. Both A and R are true, and
R is the correct explanation
B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true, R is false
D. A is false, R is true
Answer: A
16. Assertion (A): The Nowell Codex is sometimes called the Beowulf
manuscript.
Reason (R): It contains the only surviving copy of Beowulf.
A. Both A and R are true, and
R is the correct explanation
B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true, R is false
D. A is false, R is true
Answer: A
17. Match the following:
List I | List II
(a) Junius Manuscript | (i) Beowulf
(b) Exeter Book | (ii) Biblical poems
(c) Vercelli Book | (iii) Dream of the Rood
(d) Nowell Codex | (iv) Riddles and elegies
Correct Answer:
(a)–(ii), (b)–(iv), (c)–(iii), (d)–(i)
18. Which of the following manuscripts contains both prose
and poetry?
- Vercelli Book
- Nowell Codex
- Exeter Book
- Junius Manuscript
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 3 and 4
D. All
Answer: A
19. Which manuscript is the largest surviving collection of
Old English poetry?
A. Junius Manuscript
B. Exeter Book
C. Nowell Codex
D. Vercelli Book
Answer: B
20. Which manuscript mainly deals with biblical paraphrases?
A. Exeter Book
B. Vercelli Book
C. Junius Manuscript
D. Nowell Codex
Answer: C
21. All Old English poetry is preserved mainly in:
A. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
B. Four major codices
C. Latin manuscripts
D. Oral tradition only
Answer: B
Assertion–Reason
Questions (Very Important)
Directions:
A = Both Assertion and Reason are true, and
Reason explains Assertion
B = Both true, but Reason NOT correct explanation
C = Assertion true, Reason false
D = Assertion false, Reason true
1.
Assertion
(A): Old English poetry relies heavily on alliteration.
Reason (R): Rhyme schemes were
not developed in Old English poetry.
Answer:
A
2.
Assertion
(A): Beowulf reflects both pagan
and Christian elements.
Reason (R): Anglo-Saxon society
was transitioning from paganism to Christianity.
Answer:
A
3.
Assertion
(A): Bede is known primarily as a
poet.
Reason (R): He wrote Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Answer:
D
4.
Assertion
(A): Elegiac tone dominates poems like The
Seafarer.
Reason (R): Anglo-Saxon poetry
celebrates urban life and prosperity.
Answer:
C
5.
Assertion
(A): King Alfred the Great
promoted education.
Reason (R): He encouraged
translation of Latin texts into Old English.
Answer:
A
6.
Assertion
(A): “Wyrd” represents fate in Anglo-Saxon literature.
Reason (R): Anglo-Saxons
believed in divine determinism.
Answer:
B (belief overlaps but not exact explanation)
7.
Assertion
(A): The Dream of the Rood is a
religious poem.
Reason (R): It presents Christ’s
crucifixion from the perspective of the Cross.
Answer:
A
8.
Assertion
(A): Anglo-Saxon literature was entirely written.
Reason (R): It originated in
oral tradition.
Answer:
D
9.
Assertion
(A): The Norman Conquest strengthened Old English literature.
Reason (R): French influence
replaced Old English.
Answer:
D
10.
Assertion
(A): Kenning is a stylistic feature of Old English poetry.
Reason (R): It is a compound
metaphor used for vivid imagery.
Answer:
A