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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. Which of the following is NOT one of the examples that Venus lists of ways that Juno ignored Jupiter's will and tried to form new destinies for men?

2. What did the god Saturn give the first people in Latinum to start their civilization?

3. For what does Juno blame Aeneas in regard to the current conflict?

4. Who does the queen of Latium want her daughter to marry?

5. Who is sent by Juno to Turnus at the beginning of Book IX to tell him now is the time to attack the Trojans?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Did Nisus and Euryalus act wisely when attempting to carry out their mission? Why or why not?

4. Who are the princes referred to in the book title, how do they die, and why might their deaths be particularly significant?

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

6. What does the use of Iris as a messenger at the end of Book IX tell the reader about the balance of power between the gods?

7. What does Jupiter mean when he says that to everyone (Trojan or Rutulian), he is the same king?

8. What false portent does Juturna send the Rutulians and how do they interpret it?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the actions of Juno and Venus throughout the story. For what reasons do these two goddesses become entangled in the affairs of humans? At what points do they cross the line and become too involved? At what points does Jupiter intervene and tell them to stop? What techniques and strategies do they use to change the outcomes of events in the world below?

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

The Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar asked Virgil to write The Aeneid to celebrate his recent victory at the Battle of Actium, in which Augustus (then called Octavian) and his forces beat Mark Antony and the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra. This victory brought peace to the empire, and Octavian/Augustus worked thereafter to rule well. Looking at details in The Aeneid such as the subject matter depicted at the center of Aeneas' shield and all the references Virgil makes to the Rome of his time, discuss what purpose Virgil's work might have served at the time.

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