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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 is Aeneas mourning at the beginning of Book XI?

2. What does Jupiter tell Hercules is the labor of the brave, since human lifetimes are so short?

3. What is one of Juno's arguments for why it was right for her to have helped the Rutulians?

4. What does Aeneas say is the only reason he came to Italy?

5. What does King Latinus propose to give to the Trojans?

Short Essay Questions

1. What transition occurs around lines 46-47 in Book VII and how does Virgil handle this shift?

2. What does Evander mean when he tells Aeneas that Aeneas must have the courage to shape himself to fit through the low doorway into Evander's humble home, besides the literal fact that Aeneas is too tall to walk through the doorway without stooping a bit?

3. Why does Juno send Juturna to interfere with the war?

4. How does Jupiter become involved with the war in Book XI, and does this seem fair after he said before in Book X about being the same king to both Trojans and Rutulians?

5. Why is it significant that in Latinum, Aeneas and some of his followers eat the wheaten cakes they were using as plates for their meal?

6. Examine the advice and prophecy that Faunus gives his son Latinus. Rewrite in your own words what he is saying.

7. What arguments does Sacës use to persuade Turnus to return to the fight?

8. Describe Latinus' actions once he sees his people fighting with the Trojans.

9. How has King Latinus' method of dealing with the war changed since Book VII?

10. Under what conditions does Jupiter allow Juno to remove Turnus from the fight?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How well do you think Aeneas would have been able to fulfill his fate without the help of gods and goddesses? As you answer, take into account the actions of divine beings working against him. If there had been no divine interaction on either side, what might have been the final outcome and why?

Essay Topic 2

The Aeneid is full of examples of images that pop up over and over again. Select one of the following and trace and evaluate examples of its use throughout the work:

1) thunderbolts and lightning

2) fire

3) hunting

4) snakes

5) storms.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of signs, portents, omens, prophesies, and so forth in The Aeneid. What are some forms these signs take? Who sends them, if anyone? Can false signs be sent, and if so, for what purpose? How do people fare when they interpret signs correctly and follow them? How do they fare when they try to act against them?

(see the answer keys)

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