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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who gives Odysseus the bow that Penelope is using in her contest for the suitors?

2. Where is Telemachus supposed to put all the fighting gear that lies about Odysseus' hall?

3. What test does Odysseus give his son in Book 16?

4. How is Odysseus, the old stranger, received by the swineherd in Book 14?

5. Where is Odysseus going in the morning in Book 23, the day after the battle with the suitors?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Penelope uses two devices that delay making a decision about marriage and manipulate the suitors. Appraise the effectiveness of each device towards her overall goal. Upon what does each rely? What does each device reveal about her potential husband? Evaluate which device was most useful for her purposes.

Essay Topic 2

Even though women are afforded very little in terms of respect, if goddesses did not aid Odysseus, he would not have made it home. Reconcile the disparity between their importance to his survival and the view of women in Ancient Greece.

Essay Topic 3

As one of the first epic poems of the Western world, The Odyssey is the model from which scholars have dissected and labeled other poems that have followed. Identify the poetic conventions of the epic poem, providing examples from the text to support its use as the model.

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This section contains 346 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample