View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Venus use to convince her husband Vulcan to make armor for Aeneas?

2. What reason does Latinus give to Turnus for why the Rutulians got involved in bloody wars with the Trojans?

3. Why does Aeneas trust he can approach Evander safely as a supplicant?

4. Who is Aeneas told will be willing to fight with him against the Latins?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why would Aeneas' shield be covered with the deeds of his descendants?

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

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

4. How does Jupiter ensure that Aeneas will win the combat with Turnus?

5. 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?

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

7. How does Venus use references to the Trojan War when meeting with Jupiter at the beginning of Book X?

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

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

10. What are some actions that demonstrate the strong friendship between Nisus and Euryalus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A bildingsroman is a work of art that tells of the development of a character, perhaps telling how the character matures or grows capable of taking on a duty as the process of a journey or a series of trials. Explain why The Aeneid is or is not a bildingsroman by examining how Aeneas does or does not develop over the course of it. Examine issues such as:

1) his capacity as a leader

2) his control over his emotions and temper

3) the wiseness of his judgement

4) his treatment of others.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Virgil uses foreshadowing for reasons such as to introduce events he will discuss in greater detail later, to create suspense, and to kindle his audience's interest so they will continue to listen to the story. Identify three examples of foreshadowing in this work, explain how they work, and identify what Virgil's purpose might have been for using them.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,242 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample