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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To whom does Odysseus pray while in the meadow awaiting the appropriate time to arrive at the palace in Book 6?
(a) Apollo.
(b) Poseidon.
(c) Athene.
(d) Zeus.

2. What is unique about Demodocus the bard?
(a) He can play a tune he's heard only once.
(b) He is completely deaf.
(c) He is blind but gifted with delightful song.
(d) He is a son of a Muse.

3. How does the Cyclops in Book 9 show hospitality?
(a) He gives them the stranger's gift.
(b) He dashes two men's brains out and eats them.
(c) He offers them food, wine, and a place to sleep.
(d) He offers them food and wine.

4. What does Menelaus first reveal regarding Odysseus when Telemachus tells Menelaus who he is and the purpose of his visit?
(a) Odysseus is not worth anyone's tears.
(b) He would have given Odysseus a city upon his return from Troy.
(c) Telemachus looks nothing like his father.
(d) Odysseus' problems are his own.

5. What does Menelaus give to Telemachus when Telemachus politely refuses his other gifts?
(a) Soldiers with which to vanquish the suitors.
(b) A well-wrought silver bowl.
(c) A polished car.
(d) A goodly cup.

6. How long have the suitors been coming to Odysseus' home?
(a) More than three years.
(b) A couple of years.
(c) Six years.
(d) Four years.

7. To which goddess does Odysseus compare Nausicaa in Book 6?
(a) Aphrodite.
(b) Athena.
(c) Calypso.
(d) Artemis.

8. When sadness grips the feasting in her hall, causing Menelaus and his visitors to cry in remembrance of friends lost in Troy, what does Helen do to the wine?
(a) She pours it for the men.
(b) She adds a drug.
(c) She warms it.
(d) She adds herbs to sweeten it.

9. In what state do the Nausicaa's women, who are playing a game while waiting for the clothes to dry, find the sheltering Odysseus?
(a) He is covered in the sail from his raft.
(b) He is wearing Ino's veil.
(c) He is completely naked.
(d) He is wearing the clothes that Calypso gave him, but they're a little ragged.

10. How does Athene reveal herself to the men gathered at Nestor's palace?
(a) She transforms into mist before their eyes.
(b) She transforms into a horse before their eyes.
(c) She transforms into an osprey before their eyes.
(d) She transforms into a heifer before their eyes.

11. What is the purpose of Telemachus' quest?
(a) He has to find Odysseus.
(b) He is to find word or rumor about Odysseus and his fate.
(c) He has to assemble an army of heroes.
(d) He has to appeal to the gods for help.

12. Who first notices Odysseus' clothes in Alcinous' house?
(a) Nausicaa.
(b) Arete.
(c) Laodamas.
(d) Alcinous.

13. Penelope learns about the suitors' plan for Telemachus from a page, but what does she learn from her sister's phantom?
(a) Telemachus is guided by Athene.
(b) Telemachus is bringing an army.
(c) Telemachus is wise beyond his years.
(d) Telemachus isn't coming back.

14. What is happening in Lacedaemon when Telemachus arrives?
(a) Menelaus is celebrating the marriage of his daughter.
(b) Menelaus is celebrating a double marriage.
(c) Menelaus is holding a funeral rite for his brother.
(d) Menelaus and his household are holding a feast in honor of the gods.

15. What does Circe turn Odysseus' crew into in Book 10?
(a) Lions.
(b) Pigs.
(c) Wolves.
(d) Deer.

Short Answer Questions

1. Athene instructs Nestor to help Telemachus on the next leg of his journey. What does he supply?

2. According to Halitherses in Book 2, how long will Odysseus be gone before he returns to his friends and family?

3. What is special about the cattle and flocks of the Sun?

4. Who reads the sign given while Telemachus calls upon Zeus in Book 2?

5. Who gets Telemachus' supplies of wine and barley for his quest?

(see the answer keys)

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