Category: Medieval Literature and Culture

Why is the presence of the comitatus ethic in Beowulf significant ?

A. The comitatus ethic represents the shift from a nomadic to a more organized social structure.
B. The comitatus ethic is evidence of a period in which behavior was guided by Christian ethics.
C. The comitatus ethic shows a historical return to older types of political organization.
D. The comitatus ethic represents a culture in which rulers had no responsibilities to their citizens.

Chaucer and Langland were contemporaries, but there were several differences between their writing styles. Which of the following best describes these differences ?

A. Langland wrote only about aristocratic characters that were similar to Arthurian legends, whereas Chaucer wrote about lower social classes.
B. Chaucer and Langland wrote in different dialects.
C. Chaucer copied French and Italian style, whereas Langland did not.
D. Most of Chaucer’s poetry was for a secular court audience, whereas Langland’s was didactic, teaching a moral lesson.