Part One Early and Medieval English Literature

Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks.

1. In 1066, ____, with his Norman army, succeeded in invading and defeating

England.

A. William the Conqueror B. Julius Caesar

C. Alfred the Great D. Claudius

2. In the 14th century, the most important writer (poet) is ____ .

A. Langland B. Wycliffe C. Gower D. Chaucer

3. The prevailing form of Medieval English literature is ____.

A. novel B. drama C. romance D. essay

4. The story of ___ is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.

A. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight B. Beowulf

C. Piers the Plowman D. The Canterbury Tales

5. William Langland’s ____ is written in the form of a dream vision.

A. Kubla Khan B. Piers the Plowman

C. The Dream of John Bull D. Morte d’Arthur

6. After the Norman Conquest, three languages existed in England at that time. The

Normans spoke _____.

A. French B. English C. Latin D. Swedish

7. ______ was the greatest of English religious reformers and the first translator of

the Bible.

A. Langland B. Gower C. Wycliffe D. Chaucer

8. Piers the Plowman describes a series of wonderful dreams the author dreamed,

through which, we can see a picture of the life in the ____ England.

A. primitive B. feudal C. bourgeois D. modern

9. The theme of ____ to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized in romances.

A. loyalty B. revolt C. obedience D. mockery

10. The most famous cycle of English ballads centers on the stories about a legendary

outlaw called _____.

A. Morte d’Arthur B. Robin Hood

C. The Canterbury Tales D. Piers the Plowman

11. ______, the “father of English poetry” and one of the greatest narrative poets of

England, was born in London in about 1340.

A. Geoffrey Chaucer B. Sir Gawain C. Francis Bacon D. John Dryden

12. Chaucer died on October 25th, 1400, and was buried in ____.

A. Flanders B. France C. Italy D. Westminster Abbey

13. Chaucer’s earliest work of any length is his _____, a translation of the French

Roman de la Rose by Gaillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung, which was a love

allegory enjoying widespread popularity in the 13th and 14th centuries not only in

France but throughout Europe.

A. The Romaunt of the Rose B. “A Red, Red Rose”

C. The Legend of Good Women D. The Book of the Duchess

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