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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Creon say Oedipus can do, if he finds proof Creon's lying?
(a) banish Creon from the kingdom forever
(b) kill Creon before his sister's eyes
(c) arrest Creon and sentence him to death
(d) cut Creon's throat then and there

2. What does Oedipus say that he still fears, after hearing the news of Polybus' death?
(a) the plague on the land
(b) wedding his mother
(c) Creon's treachery
(d) the wrath of Apollo

3. What was Oedipus' response to the information he got from the oracle at Delphi, when he asked about his parentage?
(a) Oedipus asked the oracle for more clarity.
(b) Oedipus confined himself to a room in his father's palace.
(c) Oedipus went to ask his parents about it.
(d) Oedipus ran away from Corinth.

4. What does Jocasta say about human prophecy?
(a) Human prophets are the voices of gods.
(b) No human is skilled in prophecy.
(c) Oedipus is a fool not to listen to human prophets.
(d) Some human prophets are true and some are false.

5. What does Jocasta advise Oedipus about his fears?
(a) to act to try to avoid the prophecy
(b) to act to try to fulfill the prophecy
(c) to ignore prophecies and live life as best he can
(d) to accept the prophecy, since he can't change the future

6. Where did the old shepherd grow up?
(a) in Laius' house
(b) in Corinth
(c) in a poor house in Thebes
(d) in a distant village

7. What simile does Jocasta use to describe the people of Thebes?
(a) like people on a ship who see the helmsman is afraid
(b) like children who see their father's fear
(c) like soldiers who see their commander slain
(d) like people in a carriage who see the driver terrified

8. Who asks the old shepherd whether he gave an infant baby to the messenger years ago?
(a) the messenger
(b) Jocasta
(c) Oedipus
(d) the chorus leader

9. Where did the messenger find the infant Oedipus?
(a) in the valleys of Clithaeron
(b) on the border of Corinth
(c) on the doorstep of his home
(d) by the banks of a river

10. What does Oedipus do when the shepherd won't tell about giving away the infant?
(a) Oedipus offers him money and a comfortable home.
(b) Oedipus threatens him and asks someone to bind his hands.
(c) Oedipus threatens to banish him from the kingdom.
(d) Oedipus asks the messenger if he's lying about the incident.

11. Who does the messenger say gave him the infant Oedipus?
(a) an old man he cannot identify
(b) one of Laius' soldiers
(c) one of Laius' shepherds
(d) Jocasta's young maid

12. Where does Jocasta say that Laius was murdered?
(a) at the kingdom's border
(b) where two roads cross a stream
(c) where three roads meet
(d) where the flatlands begin to become steep

13. Does the messenger identify the shepherd as the man he mentioned earlier?
(a) No, the messenger knows it's him but won't identify him.
(b) Yes, the messenger identifies him easily.
(c) Yes, but the messenger must question the shepherd before being certain.
(d) No, the messenger doesn't think he's the same man.

14. What does Creon accuse Oedipus of?
(a) framing him to cover Oedipus's own crimes
(b) being power hungry and greedy
(c) being stupid and not the one to answer the Sphinx's riddle
(d) being stubborn and forgetting common sense

15. Does Oedipus want to see the person the messenger says gave him the infant Oedipus?
(a) Yes, Oedipus wants to send the person out of town.
(b) No, Oedipus is afraid of what the person might say.
(c) No, Oedipus doesn't think the person is important.
(d) Yes, Oedipus wants to question the person to find the truth.

Short Answer Questions

1. What sentence does Oedipus want to give to Creon for his crime?

2. Does the shepherd identify the messenger as someone he's met?

3. What does Creon say his current position brings?

4. What is Oedipus' initial reaction when Creon asks to explain himself?

5. Who first sees the old shepherd approaching?

(see the answer keys)

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