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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. What does Telemachus seek from the assembly above all?

2. Why does Odysseus have to go to Hades in Book 10?

3. How long do Odysseus and his men stay with Circe in Book 10?

4. Who led the group which wanted to leave Troy immediately after the war?

5. What announcement does Telemachus make to the suitors of his hall in Book 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Odysseus tells his men about the Sirens. Why doesn't he share Circe's information and advice about Scylla and Charybdis?

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

3. How is Odysseus discovered by the maids of Phaecia?

4. In what ways does Odysseus reveal his crafty mind in his encounter with the cyclops?

5. What does the story of Ares and Aphrodite teach?

6. What causes Odysseus' crew to open Aeolus' gift?

7. Why does Athene want to cause Odysseus suffering and pain when she prods the suitors to abuse him in his own house in Book 18?

8. Describe the exchange between Odysseus and the shepherd boy in Book 13. What does it show about Odysseus' nature?

9. Why does Menelaus mourn so much for Odysseus?

10. What relationship do the Phaecians have with the gods?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Homer allows the reader to sympathize with a couple of suitors - those who feel remorse and portend ill. Yet all are slaughtered. Why does Athena make a point of keeping those men at the hall? Why is her punishment so absolute? It is an appropriate punishment? Discuss the misdeeds of the suitors in your response.

Essay Topic 2

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, cleverly lobbies for Odysseus' return home with her uncle is away from Mt. Olympus. Though she does not openly oppose him, her actions aid someone whom Poseidon despises. Who is more powerful? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Odysseus is gone from home for a long time. He experiences more than most men. Dissect his journey and analyze its parts. Which part of his journey could he have changed easily and, thereby, returned home sooner? Why?

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