English Literature CLEP Prep Practice Exam

Who wrote the epic poem Beowulf?

1. Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Homer

3. Shakespeare

4. Unknown

The correct answer is: Unknown

Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in Old English and tells the story of a hero named Beowulf. While many authors and poets have been speculated to have written it, the true author is unknown. Option A, Geoffrey Chaucer, was a famous English poet, but he lived in the 14th century, centuries after Beowulf was written. Option B, Homer, was a Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, but Beowulf is not a Greek epic. Option C, Shakespeare, was a renowned English playwright and poet, but he lived in the 16th and 17th centuries, also long after the composition of Beowulf. This leaves option D, Unknown, as the correct answer.