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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. Who travels with Aeneas to check out the place where they have landed?

2. What is Aetna?

3. After first meeting Dido, what does Aeneas send for from his ships?

4. Who will bury Palinurus' body?

5. What omen does everyone witness when Acestës is shooting arrows?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why should Aeneas not have tried to found a city in Thrace?

2. What are some instances where Aeneas betrays a hastiness in temperament in Book 2?

3. How does Priam compare and contrast Achilles and Pyrrhus?

4. How does talking to Anchises prepare Aeneas to go build a new city for the Trojans in Italy?

5. How will Aeneas start the line that turns into the rulers of the Roman Empire?

6. Describe the Sibyl.

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

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

9. How does Anchises explain the process by which souls become reborn?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the purpose of Aeneas' trip to the underworld in The Aeneid? What happens while he is there and what does he learn? How might it have changed the story had he not traveled through this land?

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 935 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample