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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. Medea longs to go to what place that she's forbidden to visit?
(a) Crete.
(b) Her homeland.
(c) Athens.
(d) Creon's palace.

2. Why does Medea think Jason is a coward?
(a) She was the only reason he got the Golden Fleece.
(b) He should have talked to her before going to another woman.
(c) He is too afraid of Creon to speak up for Medea.
(d) He wasn't willing to stand up for Medea with the other Greeks.

3. Why does Jason say dealing with Medea is hopeless?
(a) He loves her too much to hurt her.
(b) He can't understand her through her thick accent.
(c) She is too stubborn and outspoken.
(d) She won't ever tell him what she really thinks.

4. After the chorus first arrives, what prayer does Medea send to the gods?
(a) That the woman Jason is leaving her for be punished.
(b) That she be killed soon to relieve her pain.
(c) That she forget her love so she can go on.
(d) That she be allowed to see Jason's life destroyed.

5. How did Medea save Jason's life?
(a) She enabled him to get the Golden Fleece and escape alive.
(b) She discovered a leak aboard the Argo that could have drowned him.
(c) She convinced him to stop adventuring away from home.
(d) She killed a traitor among his men that was plotting his death.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Medea kill for Jason?

2. What character has the strongest position in Part 3?

3. What does Medea think about the way women are treated by men in Greece?

4. Why does Medea have no choice but to trust Jason?

5. Why is Medea glad to see Jason at first?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Medea doubt her ability to trust Aegeus?

2. What motivates Medea to take her revenge further than killing Jason's bride?

3. Why does Jason think his life is over?

4. Do you think, with the chorus being so sympathetic to Medea, that it undercuts her claims that her life is more difficult because she is a foreigner? Why or why not?

5. To which character(s) is Aegeus a foil? Explain.

6. It could be said that Medea represents a type of "Everywoman" as she comes to terms with her feelings over her husband's betrayal - do you agree or disagree with this assertion? Explain why.

7. The ode from the chorus after Medea's monologue seems a bit misplaced, as though they are not speaking about Medea at all. What do you think is the purpose of this choral piece?

8. Medea comments that the only thing stronger than her sorrow is her fury. Is the author making a point here about women in general, or is this merely the character affirming the decision she has made?

9. Do you agree or disagree with Creon's decision to banish Medea? Why or why not?

10. Does the descriptions of the poison's effect lend credence to the idea that it was magical in nature?

(see the answer keys)

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