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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Ereshkigal avenge herself upon Ishtar?
(a) Namtar casts sixty diseases on Ishtar.
(b) She traps Ishtar in an icy lake.
(c) Namtar removes Ishtar's divine rights.
(d) Namtar tricks Ishtar into marrying a beast.

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

3. 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 make the dead rise to prey on the living.
(c) She will kill Namtar.
(d) She will force Ereshkigal to leave her throne.

4. Why is the author not entirely certain that Atrahasis sent an offering of peace to the gods to stop the flooding?
(a) It is unclear if Atrahasis sent a peace offering or a warning.
(b) Atrahasis denies doing it in the text.
(c) Some of the text is missing.
(d) There are too many versions of this story to know for sure.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Shamash help Gilgamesh in his battle against Humbaba?

2. What god is sacrificed in order to create man?

3. What gesture does Ninsun extend before Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to stop Humbaba?

4. Who do the myths revolve around?

5. Why does the author of this book believe it is necessary to understand where the stories of several different cultures originated?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Atrahasis initially save the world from ruin before the flood?

2. Describe the purpose and function of some of the many different features of this book.

3. How does Shamhat force Enkidu to meet Gilgamesh?

4. How does Enkidu escape from the Underworld on an alternate tablet?

5. After giving up on disease, how does Ellil try to keep the world from becoming overpopulated?

6. In the Armana version of the story of Nergal and Ereshkigal, what happens when Nergal goes to the Underworld?

7. Why are several of the myths in this book fragmented or missing whole sections?

8. What reasons does Ereshkigal give for her anguish over losing Nergal?

9. What is Nergal's offense against Namtar and his penance?

10. How does Ishtar gain entrance into the Underworld?

(see the answer keys)

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