Medieval Literature Test Review sheet

Question 1

Social Commentary

Answer 1

the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on issues in a society.(informing the populace).

Question 2

Exemplum

Answer 2

a rhetorical device defined as a short tale or narrative that is used to emphasize a point

Question 3

Anecdote

Answer 3

a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh

Question 4

Archetype

Answer 4

also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting.

Question 5

Satire

Answer 5

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidit

Question 6

Medieval Romance

Answer 6

A religious crusade, a conquest for the knight’s lord/King, and/or the rescue of a captive lady (or any combination).

Question 7

Prose

Answer 7

a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry.

Question 8

verse

Answer 8

The literary device verse denotes a single line of poetry. The term can also be used to refer to a stanza or other parts of poetry

Question 9

Quatrain

Answer 9

A stanza of four lines

Question 10

Alliteration

Answer 10

The occurence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent words

Question 11

Kenning

Answer 11

A two word phrase that describes an object with metaphors

Question 12

Epic

Answer 12

A long narrative poem written in elevated style, in which heroes of great historical or legendary importance perform valorous deeds. The setting is vast in scope, covering great nations, the world, or the universe, and the action is important to the history of a nation or people.

Question 13

Legendary Hero

Answer 13

character immortalized in myths and folk tales, who is famous for acts of courage and bravery.

Question 14

Romantic Hero

Answer 14

archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has themself as the center of his or her own existence.

Question 15

Frame Story

Answer 15

a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative

Question 16

Simile

Answer 16

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things.

Question 17

Incremental Repetition

Answer 17

a device used in poetry of the oral tradition, especially English and Scottish ballads, in which a line is repeated in a changed context or with minor changes in the repeated part.

Question 18

Refrain

Answer 18

A line or set of lines at the end of a stanza or section of a longer poem or song–these lines repeat at regular intervals in other stanzas or sections of the same work. Sometimes the repetition involves minor changes in wording.

Question 19

Scop

Answer 19

scop (/ʃɒp/ or /skɒp/) was a poet as represented in Old English poetry.

Question 20

Allusion

Answer 20

is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

Question 21

Folk Ballad

Answer 21

The anonymous folk ballad (or popular ballad), was composed to be sung. It was passed along orally from singer to singer, from generation to generation, and from one region to another