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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. Why, despite taking an oath, does Odysseus' crew slay some cattle of the Sun?
(a) They've run out of food.
(b) They're bored.
(c) Eurylochus says that Odysseus is keeping the cattle for himself.
(d) They don't care about the warning Odysseus issued.

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

3. Who reads the sign given while Telemachus calls upon Zeus in Book 2?
(a) Mentor.
(b) Eurymachus.
(c) Aegyptius.
(d) Halitherses.

4. What is the subject of Demodocus' first song at Alcinous' feast in Book 8?
(a) The deeds and misdeeds of the gods.
(b) The end of the Trojan war.
(c) The tragic end of Agamemnon.
(d) The famous quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles.

5. What is Nestor doing when Telemachus arrives in Pylos?
(a) He is holding a feast in honor of Athene.
(b) He is holding a feast in honor of Zeus.
(c) He is holding a feast in honor of Hermes.
(d) He is holding a feast in honor of Poseidon.

Short Answer Questions

1. What form does Athena take to guide Odysseus to Alcinous' palace?

2. As a result of the meeting of the assembly in Book 2, what do the suitors decide to do?

3. What does Poseidon call to disrupt Odysseus' easy passage to Phaecia?

4. What does Odysseus receive from the thirteen kings of Phaecia?

5. In Book 11, who is first to visit Odysseus from the dead?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the behavior of the suitors at the assembly in Book 2.

2. In Book 17, why does Telemachus sit amongst Odysseus' old friends when he returns home?

3. According to Nestor and Menelaus, was the war worth the cost?

4. Is it necessary for Odysseus to threaten Eurycleia when she recognizes him?

5. Why is Poseidon still upset with Odysseus in Book 13? Why does he now seek vengeance against the Phaecians? What can they do?

6. Why do the rest of the men (aside from the suitors) gathered at the assembly fail to speak or act in Book 2?

7. Why does Odysseus tell Polyphemus his true name?

8. In Book 3, what can be learned from the story of Agamemnon's murder since the reader is seeing it a second time?

9. What is interesting in Penelope's appearance to the suitors after the boxing match between Odysseus and Irus?

10. Explain the circumstances that lead Athene to intervene on Odysseus' behalf at the very beginning of the poem.

(see the answer keys)

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