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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What smell in "Justice" "was pulling [Geryon] toward it / like a strong sea"?
(a) "The smell of grass everywhere."
(b) "The smell of dandelions."
(c) "The smell of Herakles' flowers."
(d) "The smell of the falling snow."

2. What is described as making Geryon's brother happy in "Justice"?
(a) Painting.
(b) Music.
(c) Books.
(d) Stones.

3. What does Geryon's mother suggest he use next time in making a sculpture in "Tuesday"?
(a) Clay.
(b) A one-dollar bill.
(c) A hammer.
(d) A ten-dollar bill.

4. What does Geryon receive from a friend of his mother's in “Ideas”?
(a) A bicycle.
(b) A teddy bear.
(c) A guitar.
(d) A notebook.

5. By whom was Stesichoros supposedly struck blind?
(a) Pythagoras.
(b) Homer.
(c) Zeus.
(d) Helen of Troy.

Short Answer Questions

1. “Autobiography of Red: A Romance” opens with a poem by whom?

2. What does Geryon's mother tidy on him before he leaves in “Screendoor”?

3. In "Grooming," the opening sentence describes living childhood close to what?

4. Who said of Stesichoros' works, "Makes those old stories new," according to the author in the novel's introduction?

5. What is printed on the t-shirt that Geryon wears in “Space and Time”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What supposedly caused Stesichoros' "un-blinding"?

2. What is the purpose of the book's introduction “Red Meat: What Difference did Stesichoros Make?”

3. What is noted about the innovations of Stesichoros' writing in “Red Meat: What Difference did Stesichoros Make?”

4. Describe the structure of the poems in the main storyline. How are the poems similar in their format?

5. What does the dog signify in "Wings" and the other early poems in the novel?

6. How is Geryon's visit to the volcano explored metaphorically in Section 7?

7. What are examples of foreshadowing seen in “Sex Question” through “Somnambula”?

8. How is the color red explored metaphorically in Section 7?

9. What is a palinode? What palinode is described in Appendix A: “Testimonia on the Question of Stesichoros’ Blinding by Helen”?

10. How is the color red employed as a motif in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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