View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who led the group which wanted to leave Troy immediately after the war?

2. Where is Telemachus going during this journey?

3. Who speaks up in Book 7 to ask that Odysseus be given a seat in the court of Alcinous since he has come as a supplicant?

4. Why does Athena speak to Nausicaa in her dreams?

5. How many days does it take Odysseus to make his preparations and finally leave Ogygia?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Euryalus insult Odysseus when the Phaeacians are engaging in sport?

2. Is the ending satisfying to readers? Why or why not?

3. In Book 23, Telemachus calls his mother's reaction to Odysseus cold and unfeeling. What does it reveal about her character?

4. Is the punishment of the slave maids in Book 22 just and reasonable?

5. In Book 17, what more is discovered about Antinous through his actions towards the beggars?

6. What does Nestor tell Telemachus of Odysseus during Telemachus' visit in Book 3?

7. What is similar to Odysseus' real plight in his fictional tale to Eumaeus in Book 14?

8. How does a naked Odysseus ask for help among Nausicaa and the maids?

9. Why does Telemachus take advice from Mentes, a relative stranger to him, in Book 1?

10. Why does Odysseus tell Polyphemus his true name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most literary works have an antagonist. Is there one in The Odyssey? Explain your answer using the text.

Essay Topic 2

The poem ends abruptly because there needs to be an explanation for peace. How does the ending demonstrate this society's belief in the rule of law? Without the intervention of the immortals, would the conflict continue?

Essay Topic 3

Vengeance and/or law being exercised fuel much of the action in this epic poem. It is an act of vengeance, which keeps Odysseus so long from his homeland? It is an act of vengeance, which slaughters the suitors? It is vengeance, which moves half the men of Ithaca to attack Odysseus on the farm? Where does the death of Odysseus' crew for the cattle of the Sun fit in? Why does Athena condone the slaughter of the suitors? Select three of these acts. Analyze each act, making sure to include mitigating factors, and determine which are criminal and which are legitimate.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,000 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample