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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. The story of the Trojan War was ______________ important and popular myths of the Greeks, and one which every educated Greek and Roman would have been familiar with.

2. The heroes of the Trojan War, also called __________ heroes, were slightly different from the older mythological heroes such as Hercules, Perseus and Theseus.

3. Pegasus was used to help kill the fearsome monster called the Chimaera, which had the body and head of a fire-breathing _______, a goat's head in the middle of its back, and a snake for a tail.

4. To whom was Helen married?

5. How is the creation myth of the Greeks peculiar?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What ended when Atalanta was married? What does this reinforce in Greek culture?

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

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

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

7. Choose another one of the love stories. How does this story show the kindness the gods are capable of feeling?

8. How did Zeus become the king of the gods?

9. Why were the Greek gods worshiped? How does this reason compare to the reasons one might worship a god today?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several myths about the royal House of Athens.

Part 1) Summarize these stories. What do these stories say about this house? How are these stories similar to those of the House of Atreus and the House of Thebes? What does this reinforce about the gods and their relationships with humans?

Part 2) How are these myths both good and bad? How is this house different from the Houses of Atreus and Thebes? Might these differences be seen today? How might this still affect Athenians today? Explain.

Part 3) What is another city or country in the world today that believes it is special because of its religious connections? How does this affect how its citizens act towards others? Do you see this religious pride as something that is good or bad? Why?

Essay Topic 2

The Greek gods were based on the perfect man.

Part 1) What did the Greeks consider a perfect man? Why might they have thought this? How did the gods reflect this attitude regarding man? How did this, in turn affect man?

Part 2) Choose two Greek gods or goddesses. What human qualities do they have? How do these gods or goddesses affect humans? How might one relate to these gods or goddesses?

Part 3) What are two world religions of today? Describe their god or gods. How do these gods compare to the Greek gods? What might this reveal about the people who worship this god or these gods today?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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