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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What form did Tereus take?

2. It was a moral tale that taught proper behavior toward whom?

3. Odysseus alone survived and washed up on the shore of the island of ______________, where a sea-nymph who kept him captive for years.

4. Procris was happily married to Cephalus, until one day Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, ____________.

5. Callisto was loved by Zeus and hated by Hera. Hera turned her into a _________ and arranged for her son to kill it.

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Aeneas tied to the great Roman Republic?

2. Compare one of these stories to a fairly tale or tall tale with which you are familiar.

3. What are the Danaids known for doing? Why might they have done this?

4. What are two important lessons taught in the Odyssey?

5. What are four ways in which the House of Thebes was like the House of Atreus?

6. How is Aeneas like both Jason and Odysseus?

7. Of these two families, which deserved their bad luck the least? Why?

8. How is this bad luck tied to the future of the city of Thebes?

9. How did the bad luck of the later generations reflect the bad luck of the earlier generations? What does this say about the tie between one generation and another?

10. How are some of the stars explained in this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author states that Greek mythology should not be seen as a Bible of religious belief.

Part 1) What is meant by this statement? How should Greek mythology be viewed? Why should it not be understood as a Bible of religious belief? How might this affect one's belief in the Greek gods? How does this affect the power of these gods?

Part 2) How did this give freedom to various Greek writers and thinkers throughout history? How did these writers and thinkers influence Greek mythology? Why did they influence it in this way?

Part 3) Would a religion such as what is known as Greek mythology flourish today? Why or why not? What is necessary for a religion to be successful today? How does this reflect mankind today? What does it also reveal about the ancient Greeks?

Essay Topic 2

Tragedy was often a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Describe four myths that one would consider tragic. What led to tragedy in each of these myths? How does the tragedy found in each myth compare to the tragedy found in the others?

Part 2) What is the purpose of this tragedy? What does it reveal about the Greeks? What lessons can still be learned from this tragedy today? Do tragedies such as this exist in contemporary literature? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe that tragic tales are necessary for a culture? Why or why not? Is there a focus on tragedy in American literature? Why or why not? What does this say about Americans and their view of tragedy and loss?

Essay Topic 3

Jason was the hero who set out to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Part 1) Why did he set out to do this? What challenges did he face along the way? What led to these challenges? How did these challenges affect Jason? How did this adventure make him a hero in the eyes of the Greeks?

Part 2) How did Jason and his adventures compare to those of other heroes discussed in this book? Why did similarities exist? How do these similarities help one to determine the requirements of a Greek hero? Why did differences exist between Jason and other heroes? What does this also reveal about all Greek heroes?

Part 3) How do Jason and other Greek heroes compare to heroes, both real and fictional, in our own culture today? Do you see Jason and others as heroes? Why or why not? What is your definition of a hero? What is required to make someone a hero?

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