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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 is the original total number of troops that would leave for Thermopylae?

2. What does Dienekes decide that the opposite of fear is?

3. Why does Medon take the baby after the Peers all go home?

4. Who appears to Diomache in a dream after she aborted her pregnancy and was ill?

5. When king Leonidas gives his speech on the night of the arrival of the Persian force, to whom is he speaking?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Rooster spared and why?

2. What kind of force arrives at Thermopylae to meet the Persians?

3. What disturbs Xerxes, the Persian king?

4. Explain what the author means when he calls the 300 an all-sire unit.

5. What does Arete offer Xeones? What is Xeones' response?

6. Why does Xerxes not want to face the Spartans in Sparta?

7. Describe what the Persians do to the body of the Spartan king, Leonidas.

8. What happens when Leonidas frees the helots on the last day of battle?

9. Describe the Medes who first entered battle with the Greeks.

10. What happens when the Greeks enter the tent of Xerxes that ultimately saves his life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, Xeones describes several things that are common to ancient warfare, such as smoke and fire, rape, and the mutilation of the enemy dead. What other factors are common to ancient warfare? Why do these things occur in ancient times? Do they still happen today? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

By simply maintaining military discipline, the Spartans are able to defeat many enemies in battle who do not know discipline. Define discipline. Why is discipline so important on the battlefield? Is it equally important off the field? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

For the first day of the battle, the Greeks are able to fend off several attacks that, simply by the number of soldiers, should have crushed them. All the way to the bitter end, the Greeks are able to inflict great damage on the army of Persia. Describe the strategies used by the Greeks, from the first crossing of arms to the last.

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This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample