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. Why does Nisus surrender to the Rutulians?

2. What does the goddess Circe do to those she enchants?

3. Which monsters help Vulcan in his forge?

4. What do Nisus and Euryalus do as they move through Turnus' camp?

5. Why do the Trojans and the Latins call a twelve-day truce?

Short Essay Questions

1. What suggestions are given in this book as to how the conflict can be resolved?

2. 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?

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. What is the difference between what Arruns prays for and what he actually receives?

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

What role do the Muses play in the telling of this tale? When and why does Virgil call upon them? Upon which particular Muses does he rely?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,432 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample