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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. There are _______ different versions of the story of the creation of man.

2. The inventor warned his son ______________.

3. How was Achilles killed by Paris?

4. ______________ was the god of the sea and brother of Zeus.

5. Atalanta was raised by ____________ and became a great huntress.

Short Essay Questions

1. Who won the Trojan War? How did they win? What do their successful tactics say about them?

2. Choose one of the love stories in this section. Summarize this story. How does it reflect someone's jealousy?

3. What do all of these stories reveal about the gods?

4. How does the story of the Trojan War support the fact that many heroes have the same fatal flaw?

5. Why were women seen as lesser beings? How does Greek mythology support this belief regarding women?

6. How did Medea help Jason? Why did she help him? Should she have helped him? Why or why not?

7. Why did Greek mythology come to exist? What was its purpose?

8. How were Homeric heroes different from earlier Greek heroes? What does this say about the Greeks at the time?

9. What are two ancient sources that can be used to study Greek mythology? How is each of these sources useful?

10. Describe Demeter and Dionysus. How were Demeter and Dionysus unique?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several heroes faced long, arduous adventures.

Part 1) Describe two heroes who faced long, arduous adventures in the myths. What were their adventures? What led to these adventures? How did they deal with the challenges they had to face? What does this reveal about them? How did this make them heroes?

Part 2) How were these men changed by their adventures? How did these adventures change others who were involved in these adventures or were a part of the hero's life?

Part 3) What adventures and challenges have you faced in your life? How did you deal with these challenges and difficulties? What did these adventures and challenges reveal about you? In general, what do challenges reveal about humans?

Essay Topic 2

There are several love stories that are a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Summarize two of these love stories. What is the purpose of each of these love stories? What do these stories say about love? How does this reflect the ancient Greek's view of love?

Part 2) How are love stories an important part of other cultures? How is love a universal part of life? How does it differ from one culture to the next? Why is it such an important part of the spectrum of human emotion?

Part 3) To you, what does it mean to love? How important is love to one's quality of life? Explain. How have you witnessed love in your own life? How has this affected you? How might it influence your behavior towards others?

Essay Topic 3

Norse mythology is studied in the last section of this book.

Part 1) Describe Norse mythology. Who are the main gods? What are the basic beliefs regarding the gods, life on earth, and the afterlife? What does Norse mythology reveal about those who believe in it?

Part 2) Why does the author choose to analyze Norse mythology after studying Greek mythology for the rest of the book? How similar is Norse mythology to Greek mythology? How are these two mythologies different? How can these mythologies be used to compare these two different cultures?

Part 3) How do these mythologies compare to other ancient religious beliefs? Why do similarities exist? What does this say about mankind and his understanding of the universe of which he is a part?

(see the answer keys)

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