Medieval Literature And Culture MCQs

Option A: geographical unity

Option B: episodic content

Option C: octosyllabic couplets

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: prostitution was considered problematic but legal

Option B: the Church opposed prostitution on moral grounds

Option C: prostitution was considered a solution to epidemics of rape

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: The 3rd century

Option B: The 4th century

Option C: The 7th century

Option D: The 8th century

Correct Answer: The 4th century ✔

Option A: it describes the importance of communication with others in order to reach salvation

Option B: it describes a form of worship based on praying to devotional art

Option C: it describes a way of life that became popular after the Middle Ages

Option D: Non of these

Correct Answer: it describes the importance of communication with others in order to reach salvation ✔

Option A: anchorites who lived in seclusion

Option B: women who operated their own businesses without men

Option C: women who were villains in stories of courtly love

Option D: educated women

Correct Answer: women who operated their own businesses without men ✔

Option A: a term associated with oral transmission

Option B: an important trait of the medieval lay

Option C: a literary device used in estates satire

Option D: a dramatic demonstration of faith

Correct Answer: a dramatic demonstration of faith ✔

Option A: the mystic is primarily tasked with intellectual work within monasteries

Option B: the mystic is a visionary who experiences divine insight

Option C: the mystic uses a religious platform to promote equal rights for women

Option D: the mystic usually works as a scribe

Correct Answer: the mystic is a visionary who experiences divine insight ✔

Option A: Julian of Norwich

Option B: Margery Kempe

Option C: Catherine of Siena

Option D: Christine de Pizan

Correct Answer: Catherine of Siena ✔

Option A: “Revelations of Divine Love”

Option B: “Acts of Thecla”

Option C: “The Wooing of Our Lord”

Option D: “Orison to an Almighty God”

Correct Answer: B. “Acts of Thecla” ✔

Option A: people stopped reading the Bible

Option B: people increasingly turned to visual art in order to learn about religion

Option C: people could be religious without the help of a clergy

Option D: interest in the Church history declined rapidly

Correct Answer: people could be religious without the help of a clergy ✔

Option A: The Canterbury Tales

Option B: “Revelations of Divine Love”

Option C: “Book of Hours”

Option D: The Romance of the Rose

Correct Answer: B. “Revelations of Divine Love” ✔

Option A: As a term associated only with religious written literature

Option B: As a device used to describe the flaws in the oral tradition

Option C: As a technique that became popular after the invention of the printing press

Option D: As a method of composing stories in the oral tradition

Correct Answer: As a method of composing stories in the oral tradition ✔

Option A: The Book of Margery Kempe

Option B: “Revelations of Divine Love”

Option C: “The Wooing of Our Lord”

Option D: The Art of Courtly Love

Correct Answer: The Art of Courtly Love ✔

Option A: cancelled out punishment due to sin

Option B: depended entirely on literacy

Option C: were considered “unimportant” by mystics

Option D: were only performed by men

Correct Answer: cancelled out punishment due to sin ✔

Option A: it was normally supervised by a midwife

Option B: it was typically dangerous for mother and infant

Option C: it was normally done without medical equipment

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: 8th and 9th centuries

Option B: 9th and 10th centuries

Option C: 10th and 11th centuries

Option D: 14th and 15th centuries

Correct Answer: 14th and 15th centuries ✔

Option A: Age of Enlightenment

Option B: Age of Reason

Option C: Platonic Period

Option D: Dark Ages

Correct Answer: Dark Ages ✔

Option A: meditation

Option B: wearing white clothing

Option C: weeping

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: superstition

Option B: adultery

Option C: jealous fathers

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: they were exposed to new opportunitiesto learn in universities

Option B: they were not able to attend so they were virtually unaffected

Option C: they were not able to attend so their education levels declined, compared to men

Option D: most of them were unable to read, so they were not admitted

Correct Answer: they were not able to attend so their education levels declined, compared to men ✔

Option A: The repetition of words

Option B: The use of epithets with character’s names

Option C: An episodic structure

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: popular books before the invention of the printing press

Option B: books of prayers used at Christian Mass

Option C: books of information about the history of the Church

Option D: private books of prayers to be recited throughout the day

Correct Answer: private books of prayers to be recited throughout the day ✔

Option A: “Lanval”

Option B: “La Fresne”

Option C: “Bisclavert”

Option D: “Equitan”

Correct Answer: D. “Equitan” ✔

Option A: it provided women with the opportunity to protect their own property

Option B: it provided women with a place to nourish their intellectual growth

Option C: it allowed women to exercise political authority in their communities

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: secular authorities said that virginity was unimportant, while the Church highly valued it

Option B: the Church said that virginity was unimportant, while the secular authorities highly valued it

Option C: secular authorities said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while religious doctrines said it was spendable

Option D: religious doctrines said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while secular authorities said it was spendable

Correct Answer: religious doctrines said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while secular authorities said it was spendable ✔

Option A: freedom

Option B: love

Option C: education

Option D: chastity

Correct Answer: freedom ✔

Option A: they were not allowed to divorce their husbands

Option B: they were not allowed to own a business without permission

Option C: they were not allowed to inherit land if they had any brothers

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: retailers

Option B: domestic servants

Option C: spinners

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: she was considered her husband’s property

Option B: she was considered equal to her husband

Option C: she was more legally powerful than her husband

Option D: she was her husband’s property, but could not be mistreated under law

Correct Answer: she was considered her husband’s property ✔

Option A: chastity

Option B: piety

Option C: education

Option D: secular political activity

Correct Answer: education ✔

Option A: King Alfred

Option B: King Arthur

Option C: King Henry

Option D: King Richard

Correct Answer: King Henry ✔

Option A: Lancelot and Guinevere

Option B: Dante and Beatrice

Option C: Arthur and Guinevere

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: the literary form linked closely with courtly love

Option B: a method of creating a mystical union

Option C: a term associated with oral transmission

Option D: the writing and studying of saints’ lives

Correct Answer: the writing and studying of saints’ lives ✔

Option A: a method of communication used solely by the early Church

Option B: the spreading of material by word of mouth

Option C: a mode of communication used mainly after the rise of literacy

Option D: a method of communication that became prominent at the end of the Middle Ages

Correct Answer: the spreading of material by word of mouth ✔

Option A: it was a period of surging Roman institutions

Option B: the production of historical records increased

Option C: there are few primary sources that reconstruct the history of the time

Option D: the lack of technology made it literally dark

Correct Answer: there are few primary sources that reconstruct the history of the time ✔

Option A: invasions from barbarian tribes

Option B: financial deficits from increased military expenditures

Option C: falling birth rates

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: enchantment

Option B: spells

Option C: fairy trickery

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: she was the only woman to work in the oral tradition

Option B: she was the first female mystic

Option C: she wrote in order to support herself

Option D: she was the only woman to write medieval lays

Correct Answer: she wrote in order to support herself ✔

Option A: estate satire

Option B: medieval lays

Option C: conduct books

Option D: medieval allegory

Correct Answer: conduct books ✔

Option A: Christine de Pizan

Option B: Catherine of Sienna

Option C: Andreas Capellanus

Option D: Chretien de Troye

Correct Answer: Chretien de Troye ✔

Option A: it includes issues that pertain to the heart

Option B: it is part of the anchoress’ inner self

Option C: it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: Marie de France

Option B: Hildegard of Bingen

Option C: Christine de Pizan

Option D: The Wife of Bath

Correct Answer: Hildegard of Bingen ✔

Option A: paradox

Option B: affective piety

Option C: imagery

Option D: pathos

Correct Answer: pathos ✔

Option A: it led to the rise of Germanic cultures

Option B: it created a conflict Christianity and paganism

Option C: it led to the end of Roman forms of governing

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: the public disinterest in popular tales about romance

Option B: the increased interest in stories written in medieval Latin

Option C: the decreased public interest in religious stories

Option D: the French lords’ lack of interest in tales of courtly love

Correct Answer: the decreased public interest in religious stories ✔

Option A: a short lyrical poem

Option B: a story of a saint’s life

Option C: a type of book of hours

Option D: a devotional text used by anchoresses

Correct Answer: a story of a saint’s life ✔

Option A: “Revelations of Divine Love”

Option B: “The Book of Margery Kempe”

Option C: “An Orison to Almighty God”

Option D: “The Wooing of Our Lord

Correct Answer: A. “Revelations of Divine Love” ✔

Option A: the triptych

Option B: the flail

Option C: the rudder

Option D: the letter press

Correct Answer: the letter press ✔

Option A: it includes issues that pertain to the heart

Option B: it refers to anchoress’ everyday behavior

Option C: it is part of the anchoress’ inner self

Option D: it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse

Correct Answer: it refers to anchoress’ everyday behavior ✔

Option A: most medieval women had some property

Option B: married women could hold property once they had children

Option C: married women could hold property without their husband’s consent

Option D: widows could hold property

Correct Answer: widows could hold property ✔

Option A: medieval lay

Option B: courtly love

Option C: hagiography

Option D: romance

Correct Answer: hagiography ✔

Option A: the value of practical virtues over traditional feminine virtues

Option B: the merit of women

Option C: the lack of truth in men’s stereotypes about women

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: a hero in a courtly romance

Option B: a member of a sect that was considered heretical

Option C: a female mystic

Option D: an illiterate anchoress

Correct Answer: a member of a sect that was considered heretical ✔

Option A: justice

Option B: piety

Option C: sexuality

Option D: education

Correct Answer: sexuality ✔

Option A: it improved communication between societies

Option B: it increased the amount of printed material available to the masses

Option C: it created a more unrestricted circulation of texts

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: she said that the institution was too flawed

Option B: she claimed she was already married to God

Option C: she wanted to make a political statement against the Church

Option D: she was concerned about loss of property

Correct Answer: she claimed she was already married to God ✔

Option A: a type of literature concerned with the behavior of anchorites

Option B: a type of early literature produced solely by medieval women writers

Option C: a literary convention based on the code of behavior associated with chivalrous romance

Option D: a method of oral transmission

Correct Answer: a literary convention based on the code of behavior associated with chivalrous romance ✔

Option A: it assured him that his children were his own

Option B: it assured him that his wife would carry a dowry with her

Option C: it assured him that his wife was not a sinner

Option D: it assured him that her wife would never commit adultery

Correct Answer: it assured him that his children were his own ✔

Option A: she values reason and activity instead of silence

Option B: she emphasizes practical rather than theological virtues

Option C: she does not mention traditional virtues like piety

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: nobility

Option B: adultery

Option C: chastity

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: a heroine who used female attributes to become a saint

Option B: a saint who was NOT the humble, pious, and chaste figure she was expected to be

Option C: an asexual female saint

Option D: an anchorite

Correct Answer: an asexual female saint ✔

Option A: Julian of Norwich

Option B: Margery Kempe

Option C: Catherine de Pizan

Option D: Heloise

Correct Answer: Margery Kempe ✔

Option A: Julian of Norwich

Option B: Margery Kempe

Option C: Catherine of Siena

Option D: Catherine de Pizan

Correct Answer: Julian of Norwich ✔

Option A: she objected to the treatment of secularism as evil

Option B: she applauded its promotion of female education

Option C: she attacked it as misogynistic

Option D: she praised the objectification of women

Correct Answer: she attacked it as misogynistic ✔

Option A: the problem of a “man writing as a woman”

Option B: the idea that woman cannot be as educated as men

Option C: the idea that noble women are more similar to men than peasant women are

Option D: the notion that chastity is impossible for men

Correct Answer: A. the problem of a “man writing as a woman” ✔

Option A: medieval lay

Option B: hagiography

Option C: mysticism

Option D: dream vision

Correct Answer: dream vision ✔

Option A: people who attempt to found their own religious orders

Option B: people who reject asceticism and contemplation

Option C: people who attempted to contact God without the intervention of an established religious order

Option D: people who were formally tied to religious orders

Correct Answer: people who attempted to contact God without the intervention of an established religious order ✔

Option A: pilgrimages

Option B: charitable donations

Option C: prayers on the sinner’s behalf

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: it ended the Church’s role in the creation of books

Option B: it led to a sudden increase of women as scholars and authors

Option C: it declared that books should be produced by men

Option D: it opened up new opportunities for women to learn

Correct Answer: it declared that books should be produced by men ✔

Option A: Julian of Norwich

Option B: Margery Kempe

Option C: Catherine of Siena

Option D: Catherine de Pizan

Correct Answer: Margery Kempe ✔

Option A: people brought tales of romance from different literary and cultural traditions back from their trips

Option B: merchants started to import rare silks and spices from new trade roots

Option C: architects from Western Europe were influenced by new Eastern styles

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: she offers real reasons as to why women are valuable to society

Option B: she literally helps build the city

Option C: she helps the narrator see the merits of women

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: they deemphasized the importance of chastity

Option B: they redefined women as attainable vs unattainable, rather than virgin vs whore

Option C: they indicated that women’s sexual conduct should not be classified by men

Option D: they rarely explored issues of sexuality, love, or romance

Correct Answer: they redefined women as attainable vs unattainable, rather than virgin vs whore ✔

Option A: 9th century

Option B: 10th century

Option C: 11th century

Option D: 12th century

Correct Answer: 11th century ✔

Option A: The Romance of the Rose

Option B: “Book of Hours”

Option C: The Bible

Option D: The Art of Courtly Love

Correct Answer: The Bible ✔

Option A: teachers

Option B: scribes

Option C: authors

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: recitations by poets

Option B: knightly tournaments

Option C: games

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: women are always villains, while men are always heroes

Option B: women are always involved in supernatural plots while men’s storylines tend to be more realistic

Option C: men are allowed to boast about their affairs, while women must keep them secret

Option D: men are represented as immoral while women are always presented as chaste

Correct Answer: men are allowed to boast about their affairs, while women must keep them secret ✔

Option A: a medieval female hermit

Option B: a woman who rejects the support of the community because she feels it is sexist

Option C: a male anchorite

Option D: a religious teacher in the medieval era

Correct Answer: a medieval female hermit ✔

Option A: it made them more valuable sources of information

Option B: it made them seem irrelevant since they separated religious life from worldly life

Option C: it made them more important since there were few literate lay worshipers

Option D: it made them symbols of the Church’s progress

Correct Answer: it made them seem irrelevant since they separated religious life from worldly life ✔

Option A: the idea that community is essential to salvation

Option B: the concept of dualism of body and soul

Option C: the concept of a sensual God

Option D: the idea that God is separate from the human experience of love

Correct Answer: the concept of a sensual God ✔

Option A: monks

Option B: working class women

Option C: working class men

Option D: peasants

Correct Answer: monks ✔

Option A: books that established standards of behavior for women

Option B: books that were primarily intended to teach men how to treat their wives

Option C: books that conformed with strict standards of behavior

Option D: books that recounted historical events in the medieval era

Correct Answer: books that established standards of behavior for women ✔

Option A: they were never chaste or pious

Option B: they always represented the evil side of love

Option C: they were sources of inspiration for heroic action

Option D: they were examples of mystical unions

Correct Answer: they were sources of inspiration for heroic action ✔

Option A: courtly love

Option B: peasant life

Option C: praise of chastity

Option D: female literacy

Correct Answer: praise of chastity ✔

Option A: the critical debate about the verification of events in the letters

Option B: the idea that Abelard wrote all of the letters

Option C: the issue of whether there is a “female voice” in the letters

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: Margery Kempe

Option B: Catherine of Siena

Option C: Thecla

Option D: Christine de Pizan

Correct Answer: Christine de Pizan ✔

Option A: The Book of Margery Kempe

Option B: “The Wooing of Our Lord”

Option C: “An Orison to Almighty God”

Option D: The Romance of the Rose

Correct Answer: The Romance of the Rose ✔

Option A: a period in which philosophers attempted to reconcile philosophy with religion

Option B: a period of educational activity

Option C: a period associated with the Carolingian Renaissance

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: it is a union supported by the Church

Option B: it is a union between anchorites

Option C: it is a mystical union between two people

Option D: it is a spiritual union with God

Correct Answer: it is a spiritual union with God ✔

Option A: the Germanic tribes allowed relationships between family members, while the Church prohibited marriage between relatives

Option B: the Church outlawed marriages between children, while Germanic tribes tolerated them

Option C: the Germanic tribes tolerated polygamy, while the Church made monogamy the only acceptable type of union

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: Richard Rolle

Option B: Walter Hilton

Option C: Julian of Norwich

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: poets from France and Italy

Option B: men who wrote only in the mystical tradition

Option C: the authors of conduct books

Option D: heretics persecuted by the Church

Correct Answer: poets from France and Italy ✔

Option A: assonance

Option B: allegory

Option C: litotes

Option D: simile

Correct Answer: allegory ✔

Option A: they were expected to fix problems in their husbands’ absence

Option B: they ran the household

Option C: they were expected to be religious role models

Option D: All of the Above

Correct Answer: All of the Above ✔

Option A: they lost the ability to be anchoresses

Option B: they lost much of their political and economic power

Option C: they were able to acquire more political capital

Option D: they took on more important roles in the economy

Correct Answer: they lost much of their political and economic power ✔

Option A: Barley bread provides an example of medieval estates satire.

Option B: Barley bread represents the wife’s answer to the belief that virginity is superior to marriage.

Option C: Barley bread suggests the heroine’s state as a fallen woman.

Option D: Barley bread signifies Chaucer’s use of alliterative verse.

Correct Answer: Barley bread represents the wife’s answer to the belief that virginity is superior to marriage. ✔

Option A: Monks memorized many passages of scripture, preserving scriptures.

Option B: Scops recited poems to noble audiences, preserving the stories and poetic tradition.

Option C: Thegns were nobles who liked literature, and their patronage made poets popular.

Option D: Anchoresses recited poems to occupy their time alone in their cells.

Correct Answer: Scops recited poems to noble audiences, preserving the stories and poetic tradition. ✔

Option A: The story of an English village’s conversion to Christianity

Option B: A first-person story of the Norman invasion

Option C: The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden

Option D: A poem that features courtly love but denounces supernaturalism

Correct Answer: The adventure of a knight who rescues a maiden ✔

Option A: Mystical literature suggested the continued link between paganism and Christianity.

Option B: Mystical literature prohibited women from writing in the voice of God.

Option C: Mystical literature ended the trend of poems in which God was cast as a lover.

Option D: Mystical literature provided a place for women to write romantic and religious literature.

Correct Answer: Mystical literature provided a place for women to write romantic and religious literature. ✔