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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. Odysseus' adventures were told in the _________ poem The Odyssey.

2. King Laius of Thebes was a descendant of ______________, married to a distant cousin called Jocasta.

3. The society Aeneas founded would one day flourish into ___________.

4. After killing some of the Sun-god's ______________, all of Odysseus' men were punished by drowning in a storm.

5. Why did visiting the underworld mark Aeneas as a very special hero?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are four ways in which the House of Thebes was like the House of Atreus?

2. How are the lessons learned from these stories relevant today?

3. What are the purposes of myths, based on these stories?

4. How are some of the stars explained in this section?

5. What are two important lessons taught in the Odyssey?

6. How is Aeneas tied to the great Roman Republic?

7. How is this bad luck tied to the future of the city of Thebes?

8. How did Odysseus' adventures make him a hero?

9. Summarize two stories found in this section. How do they explain the qualities of a hero?

10. How did the bad luck of the House of Atreus begin? Why did it continue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

King Midas was rewarded by Bacchus.

Part 1) Describe the story of King Midas. Why was he rewarded? How did this reward affect him? What does this reveal about King Midas? What can be learned from this story?

Part 2) How does Midas' story compare to other myths? What theme or themes can be found in this story? How is each theme also popular in other Greek myths? How might each theme also be important to the ancient Greeks? Are these themes important today? Why or why not?

Part 3) What is a tale or myth that is told today in the U.S.? Describe this tale. What are the themes found in this tale? What is the moral of this tale? How does this tale compare to Greek mythology? What does this tale reveal about modern Americans?

Essay Topic 2

Murder frequently takes place in Greek mythology.

Part 1) Describe two stories in which a murder or murders take place. Why do these murders take place? How do these murders affect the other characters in the story? How might the murders affect those who hear this story?

Part 2) Is murder a popular theme of American folk tales? Why or why not? What does this reveal about the Greeks? What does this reveal about Americans? How does this theme of murder add to the drama and tragedy of Greek mythology?

Part 3) What do you believe is the most popular of themes in American tales? Use at least two stories to support this belief. Why is this a popular theme? What does this reveal about Americans?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,496 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample