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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 event has Xenophon's works helped to clarify?

2. What were trophies often made out of?

3. Which political leadership worked on the efforts to befriend the Spartans?

4. What are the main events of the first chapter focused on?

5. Which of the following are distinct from the author in "A History of My Times"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Mania oversee her military operations?

2. What is the point of Cyrus's story as it is told by Xenophon?

3. What was used to make trophies and when were they usually presented?

4. Where were the sailors who were granted pay living, and what kind of lifestyle did they have?

5. What are the intentions of the author and the publisher in presenting "A History of My Times"?

6. As indicated in the Introduction, what are Xenophon's motivations in writing "A History of My Times"?

7. How many men did Xenophon lead in the military, and what were some of the complaints about them?

8. How is Xenophon's writing style compared to contemporary writers?

9. Why is the bibliography located in the front of the book, and what is the editor's advice regarding the notes that follow it?

10. What happened to Thibron after he returned to Sparta and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the sad story of Mania, including how she becomes the satrap, her leadership style, the promises she makes to her allies, and the way she interacts with her mercenaries. Also, explain how effective she is as a leader, why her betrayal is planned, and how it is executed.

Essay Topic 2

The author's motivations for writing the book, "A History of My Times", are revealed by the editor, establishing an important framework for the reader.

1) Explain what motivates Xenophon to write his story, based on the editor's notes and his own commentary.

2) Describe the main points that Xenophon is trying to make in the book and why.

3) Compare Xenophon's writing style with the style of contemporary non-fiction writers.

Essay Topic 3

Xenophon includes the various rituals performed by ancient Greek soldiers before and after a battle.

1) Describe the ritual of an animal sacrifice before a battle, how it is performed, and the reasons for it.

2) Explain how trophies are made and what is used to make them.

3) Describe the conditions for making trophies using one example of this from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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