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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. Aeneas visited the underworld briefly before sailing to a spot near the River __________ on the Italian coast.

2. This chapter describes a series of myths concerning the earliest kings and queens of Athens before who became king?

3. Orithyia's two sons were heroes who accompanied ____________ on his voyage.

4. With whom did Agamemnon's wife have an affair?

5. Modern scholarship usually dates The Odyssey to around the ______ century BC.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Who are two members of this family who did not deserve the bad luck they received? Why?

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

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

7. How is Aeneas' story unique?

8. Why might Zeus have struck Aesculapius dead?

9. Compare one of these stories to a fairly tale or tall tale with which you are familiar.

10. What are the purpose of many of these stories?

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

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 3

There are several pre-Trojan War heroes that are of great significance.

Part 1) Who are these heroes? Describe each of these heroes and summarize his stories. How did each of them become a hero? What commonalities existed between these heroes?

Part 2) What do these heroes reveal about pre-Trojan War Greece? Based on these stories, what can be learned about how these Greeks felt about heroes, the gods, and their own lives? Do these myths seem realistic? Do you think that the Greeks believed these adventures had actually occurred? Why or why not?

Part 3) Describe the Trojan War heroes. How were they different from the pre-Trojan War heroes? Why? What were heroes like in early America? What made someone a hero at that point in our history? Are the qualities the same today as then? Why or why not? Might the definition of a hero change over time? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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