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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. What time of day is it at the beginning of the play?

2. Who does the Chorus believe spread a rumor about Ajax slaughtering cattle?

3. Who does the Chorus think will grieve if Ajax continues to be self-destructive?

4. What is the name of the group of leaders who decides to give Odysseus the things of Achilles that Ajax wanted?

5. What is Ajax's mother's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of the initial conversation between Odysseus and Athena?

2. How, and why, does Athena protect Odysseus when she brings Ajax out of his tent?

3. What does Ajax pray for before leaving the Chorus onstage?

4. How did Ajax betray the Greeks, according to Menelaus?

5. What preparations did Ajax make to the sword so that he can use it to kill himself?

6. Who does the Chorus condemn, after Ajax has died, and why is the Chorus condemning them?

7. What does Tecmessa think that Menelaus and Agamemnon will regret?

8. Why does Ajax refuse to go home?

9. When the Chorus unsuccessfully attempts to calm Ajax, what does Ajax bemoan?

10. According to Teucer, why did Ajax join the Greeks in the Trojan War, and what effect does that have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss whether you agree or disagree, and why, with the following statement: The play just peters out at the end without a true ending.

Essay Topic 2

What is the values system that the warriors in the play operate under? What do Ajax's actions mean, in light of that code? Support your answer with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

What role does Telamon have in the play? What function does she serve in it, for Ajax? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

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This section contains 587 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample