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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. Out of this came Night and Death, then Light, followed by Earth (_________) and Heaven (Ouranos, or Uranus).

2. ________________ was the goddess of marriage and women.

3. What turned crimson in honor of Pyramus and Thisbe's great love?

4. Why did Hercules kill his wife and children?

5. When a mortal committed a crime, broke an oath, or harmed a guest, they were seen to be ___________.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Overall, what were the initial roles of the Greek and Roman gods? How might this have been beneficial for mankind?

4. Describe the appearance and behavior of the Greek gods. What does this reflect, regarding the attitude towards mankind?

5. Choose another love story from this section. How does this story show control or the lack of control?

6. How were early royal Greek families able to claim lineage with the gods? How might they have benefited from this?

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

8. How was Theseus honored by the Athenians? Why was he honored in this way?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jason was the hero who set out to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Part 1) Why did he set out to do this? What challenges did he face along the way? What led to these challenges? How did these challenges affect Jason? How did this adventure make him a hero in the eyes of the Greeks?

Part 2) How did Jason and his adventures compare to those of other heroes discussed in this book? Why did similarities exist? How do these similarities help one to determine the requirements of a Greek hero? Why did differences exist between Jason and other heroes? What does this also reveal about all Greek heroes?

Part 3) How do Jason and other Greek heroes compare to heroes, both real and fictional, in our own culture today? Do you see Jason and others as heroes? Why or why not? What is your definition of a hero? What is required to make someone a hero?

Essay Topic 2

Tragedy was often a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Describe four myths that one would consider tragic. What led to tragedy in each of these myths? How does the tragedy found in each myth compare to the tragedy found in the others?

Part 2) What is the purpose of this tragedy? What does it reveal about the Greeks? What lessons can still be learned from this tragedy today? Do tragedies such as this exist in contemporary literature? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe that tragic tales are necessary for a culture? Why or why not? Is there a focus on tragedy in American literature? Why or why not? What does this say about Americans and their view of tragedy and loss?

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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