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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. In Chapter 3, after Electra is ready for the feast to honor Dinos, how many servants remain near her room to tell her when the guests arrive?

2. In Chapter 2 when water is found in a house with a man and a woman, how much is Orestes given?

3. What did the old woman whisper in Chapter 2 before she died?

4. In Chapter 2, how often are the boys allowed to use the baths?

5. How does Clytemnestra know when Agamemnon is coming home?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 2, what does Orestes notice as he is traveling with the guards?

2. In Chapter 1, how did Clytenmestra control the elders?

3. What happens to Mitros and his home in Chapter 3?

4. In Chapter 2, what is the first rule that Leander creates and how does he intend for the boys to protect themselves?

5. Who is Aegisthus?

6. In Chapter 3, what does Theodotus learn about the missing boys?

7. In Chapter 3, when Electra says that she is afraid of Aegisthus, how does she describe him?

8. What does Electra realize about herself and her future in Chapter 3?

9. What happened to the people who lived with the old woman?

10. In Chapter 1, what does Clytenmestra think that she should have done with Electra when she got home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rather than kill their mother herself, Electra has Orestes kill her. How does Electra persuade Orestes to kill their mother? What are her motives for not killing their mother herself?

Essay Topic 2

In ancient Greece, men were powerful and women were subservient. How does Toibin give female characters the power to act and control their lives? How does he depict the lack of power that some male characters have? How is this depiction of agency a reversal of typical roles of men and women in ancient Greece?

Essay Topic 3

For a time Electra goes frequently to her father’s grave and talks about the gods and how they influence human behavior. What beliefs does Electra seems to have about the spiritual world and the gods before her mother dies? What beliefs does she seem to have after her mother’s death? Do her views change or has she been pretending belief to achieve her goals?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample