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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. Why is Ninurta unable to kill Anzu?

2. What gift to Ea bestow upon Adapa?

3. Theology of Dunnu is another version of which myth already discussed within this book?

4. Why do Apsu and Mummu plan to kill the gods?

5. What does the different reigns of each part of Earth represent?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Adapa tricked out of becoming immortal?

2. How does Ninurta ultimately defeat Anzu?

3. Who is Haharnum?

4. How does the eagle help Etana on his quest to help his wife conceive?

5. Why does Adapa curse the South Wind and what are the consequences?

6. How does Erra trick Marduk into leaving his palace?

7. What leads to Ea slaying both Apsu and Mummu?

8. Why is the eagle left to die in the pit in Etana's story?

9. Describe the lineage of the gods as depicted in the Epic of Creation.

10. What leads to Marduk accepting the challenge to face Tiamat?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Apsu, Ea, and Marduk. All three of these held positions of power among the gods. What are their differences? What are their similarities? What roles do they plan in the Mesopotamian myths? Which of the gods is the more effective leader? How are all three of these gods related? In what way does Apsu's actions lead to Marduk's appointment as king of the gods? How does Tiamat figure into the hierarchy of the gods? What is significant about Erra's methods of taking over in his story?

Essay Topic 2

In the story of Etana, the eagle betrays the snake by eating its young, leading to the eagle's violent punishment. Discuss the roles of the eagle and the snake. What are some of the natural connotations, literary and otherwise, dredged up when thinking of snakes? What about eagles? How does this role reversal shift the reader's preconceptions of these animals? How does this speak to the diversity of Mesopotamia? What are the underlying themes of the eagle and the snake's story?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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