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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What gesture does Ninsun extend before Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to stop Humbaba?
(a) She blesses Enkidu.
(b) She asks Gilgamesh and Enkidu to pray with her.
(c) She disowns Gilgamesh so that he will carry no guilt of abandonment with him on his journey.
(d) She adopts Enkidu as another son.

2. What ancient text is not listed as having being inspired by these myths?
(a) The Illiad.
(b) The Qur'an.
(c) The Old Testament.
(d) Arabian Nights.

3. In the story of Ishtar, what version does the author use?
(a) The Sumerian.
(b) The Old Babylonian.
(c) The Greek.
(d) The Akkadian.

4. What does Gilgamesh use to cross over the deadly water past the mountains and darkness?
(a) Three hundred wooden poles.
(b) A giant leaf.
(c) A boat made from rocks.
(d) He simply swims it without taking a single breath the entire time.

5. How many myths are contained in this book?
(a) Five.
(b) Ten.
(c) Twelve.
(d) Twenty.

6. What purpose does the Sigla and Abbreviations section serve for this book?
(a) It gives a time period in which these stories supposedly occurred.
(b) It summarizes the work as a whole.
(c) It describes, in-depth, characteristics of the text.
(d) It gives historical background to the story.

7. For whom must Ishtar be exchanged in Kurnugi?
(a) Ea.
(b) Dumuzi.
(c) Belili.
(d) Good-Looks.

8. What reason does the author give for noting similarities between these myths and other, well-known stories?
(a) It allows the reader to see the differences in the relationship between man and god.
(b) It allows the reader to see the progression of gender relations through stories.
(c) It allows the reader to see that the Mesopotamian myths came first.
(d) It allows the reader to easier relate to the myths.

9. What do the gods, at the end of Atrahasis's story, amend in every living human?
(a) The ability to reason.
(b) Their soul.
(c) Life span.
(d) Free will.

10. In what modern country can the ancient civilization of these myths be found?
(a) Iraq.
(b) Syria.
(c) Afghanistan.
(d) Iran.

11. What facet of mankind annoys Ellil to the point where he nearly casts a plague upon them?
(a) Their questions.
(b) Their disrespect.
(c) Their smells.
(d) Their noise.

12. What biblical character is similar to Atrahasis?
(a) Solomon.
(b) Cain.
(c) Noah.
(d) Abel.

13. What threat does Ishtar use when addressing the gatekeeper of the Underworld?
(a) She will not allow another soul to pass through the gates.
(b) She will kill Namtar.
(c) She will force Ereshkigal to leave her throne.
(d) She will make the dead rise to prey on the living.

14. What reason is given for the myths of this book being the basis of stories for other cultures?
(a) Mesopotamia created one of the first traveling libraries.
(b) The people of Mesopotamia traveled the world.
(c) The people of Mesopotamia often sent scrolls to churches of other faiths.
(d) People of other countries frequently travelled through Mesopotamia.

15. In the final tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, what does Enkidu offer to retrieve for Gilgamesh?
(a) A sword.
(b) A toy.
(c) Shamhat.
(d) A pomegranate seed.

Short Answer Questions

1. Of what is Ishtar's father the god?

2. What Phoenician god might be based on the legend of Ereshkigal and Nergal?

3. When Namtar is sent from the Underworld to argue with the gods for Nergal's return, what does Ereshkigal reveal?

4. For what errand does Ea create the man called Good-Looks?

5. What reason does Ut-napishtium (or Atrahasis) give Gilgamesh for why only he is allowed to be immortal?

(see the answer keys)

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