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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. How much of Gilgamesh is considered to be the mortal part?

2. When Nergal returns to the Underworld on his own, what happens when he finds Ereshkigal?

3. In the Amarna version of Nergal and Ereshkigal's story, what does Ea send to the Underworld with Nergal?

4. How does Good-Looks save Ishtar from Kurnugi?

5. Who is Nergal's father?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In the longer version of this story, what happens after Namtar fails to find Nergal outside of the Underworld?

4. What is significant about Ninsun adopting Enkidu as her own son?

5. What remedies are offered after the flood to help control the population of the world?

6. What must Namtar avoid doing while in the Underworld serving out his punishment?

7. For what reasons does Enkidu die?

8. How does Ishtar gain entrance into the Underworld?

9. What reasons are given for the Mesopotamian myths becoming the basis of stories for several other cultures?

10. Why does all sexual activity on Earth stop while Ishtar is in Kurnugi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the Tablet of Destinies? What powers does it hold? Why do the gods hold it in such esteem? How did it come to be and how does that relate to Ninurta's recovery of the Tablet? How does Anzu having possession of the Tablet reveal the heroism of some of the gods? How does the Tablet of Destinies relate to Mesopotamian religious beliefs?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the Bible's connections to Enkidu from The Epic of Gilgamesh in the following format:

Part 1) Enkidu and Gilgamesh in comparison to Adam and Eve.

Part 2) Enkidu and Shamhat as Adam, Eve, and the Serpent.

Part 3) Enkidu as a martyr.

Part 4) Enkidu's resurrection.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of respect in the stories of Mesopotamia in the following format:

Part 1) Nergal, Namtar, and Ereshkigal.

Part 2) Apsu and the younger gods.

Part 3) Marduk.

Part 4) Erra and Ishum.

Part 5) Adapa and the South Wind.

Using these stories, create a thesis to describe the importance of respect in Mesopotamian culture and why the stories make that clear.

(see the answer keys)

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