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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 does Aeneas think when he spots Helen while Troy is being destroyed all around them?

2. Where do Dido and Aeneas become "married"?

3. Who leads Aeneas to the golden bough?

4. Which of the following must Aeneas do to enter the underworld?

5. Why did Misenus meet an early death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why might the Trojan women have been tempted to set fire to the ships even without Juno and Iris befuddling them?

2. What fate does Laocoön meet and why?

3. How does Aeneas feel about having to leave Dido and to what extent does he allow his feelings to influence his decision to leave her?

4. What sorts of souls live under Cretan Rhadamanthus' rule?

5. Describe how Venus acts as a mother toward Aeneas.

6. Compare and contrast the Greeks with the Trojans in the affair of the wooden horse.

7. What can you tell about how Aeneas is growing as a leader from his behavior at the funeral games?

8. What qualities of a good queen/leader does Dido exemplify? Cite specific examples from the book in your answer.

9. Which gods and goddesses are actually involved in the fall of Troy and what actions do they take?

10. What is the problem with Aeneas remaining in Carthage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Latinus as a leader with Aeneas as a leader, taking into account what characteristics a leader should possess and examining each man's actions as a leader at different times in the story.

Essay Topic 2

Aeneas and Turnus are, respectively, the protagonist and antagonist of the story. Compare and contrast these two characters using examples from the text to identify ways their actions and fates parallel each other and ways they are alike or different in their personalities and beliefs.

Essay Topic 3

Ultimately, how do you think Fate and Fortune work in the lives of any and all of the characters in The Aeneid? Use examples from the text to discuss issues such as:

1) How predetermined is fate and can it be changed? If so, by whom?

2) How are good or bad fortunes won?

3) How free or constrained are the gods and goddesses to act with or against fated outcomes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,170 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample