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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Orestes promise Zeus if he succeeds in his revenge?
(a) He will live anonymously and wisely.
(b) He will worship the gods as humbly as he can.
(c) He will build a grand altar for Zeus.
(d) He will restore the glory of their name.

2. Why should Apollo's claim about the nature of parenthood appeal to Athena?
(a) Athena has no father and was born from Hera's head.
(b) Athena has no mother and was born from Zeus's head.
(c) Athena was abandoned by her mother.
(d) Athena was abandoned by her father.

3. What must Aegisthus bring with him to the palace?
(a) Orestes' sword.
(b) Agamemnon's body.
(c) Offerings to the gods.
(d) A regiment of soldiers.

4. What does Athena proclaim before the judges announce their vote at the end of "The Eumenides"?
(a) She will punish the guilty party herself.
(b) She supports the Furies.
(c) She withdraws any and all support for both sides.
(d) She supports Orestes.

5. What do the Furies celebrate in poem and dance in the second part of "The Eumenides"?
(a) The freedom of Clytemnestra's soul.
(b) Their immortality, power, and divine right.
(c) The imminent death of Orestes.
(d) The vengeance of all women.

6. What does Orestes firmly reinforce while protesting his innocence to the council?
(a) He was acting on Apollo's will.
(b) He was acting on Zeus's will.
(c) He was acting on his own will.
(d) He was acting on his father's will.

7. What does Orestes wonder about Aegisthus after he has murdered his mother?
(a) He wonders if Aegisthus is receiving an adulterer's punishment.
(b) He wonders if Aegisthus suffered during his death.
(c) He wonders if Aegisthus was truly guilty.
(d) He wonders if Aegisthus was repenting his sins in the last moments of his life.

8. In what state is Orestes' old nurse, Cilissa, upon hearing that Orestes was murdered?
(a) She is distraught.
(b) She is relieved.
(c) She is confused.
(d) She is happy.

9. For whom do the disguised Orestes and Pylades cry out while outside the palace?
(a) Electra.
(b) Cilissa.
(c) Aegisthus.
(d) Clytemnestra.

10. What does Orestes realize about his mother's dream?
(a) It prophesizes his revenge against his mother.
(b) It prophesizes the murder of Clytemnestra by Aegisthus.
(c) It prophesizes his failure in his revenge.
(d) It prophesizes the death of Electra

11. What do the Eumenides claim about Orestes' travels in the second part of "The Eumenides"?
(a) Orestes is defying the will of the gods.
(b) The voyage should have killed him.
(c) Apollo has been granting him unfair advantages in his travels.
(d) His journey has been useless.

12. Why does Apollo appear at his altar?
(a) He wants to help Orestes.
(b) He appears at his altar daily.
(c) He senses the presence of the Furies.
(d) He is called down by the oracle.

13. Why does Orestes wish to return to the oracle at the end of "The Libation Bearers"?
(a) He wants another prophecy revealed to him.
(b) He wants to receive absolution for his deeds.
(c) He wants to be reassured that he did the right thing.
(d) He wants to receive punishment for his deeds.

14. What does Orestes hold up as proof that his father has been avenged?
(a) The crown.
(b) His mother's bloody robes.
(c) The cloth that Agamemnon was trapped in before he was murdered.
(d) Aegisthus's bloody robes.

15. Who is the oracle?
(a) A priest who speaks to the gods.
(b) A woman who prophesizes from the gods.
(c) A priestess of Hera.
(d) Orestes' sister.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the result of the judges' vote after the trial?

2. What will Athena appoint to pass judgment on the case between Orestes and the Furies?

3. What does Athena name the judges who will vote on whether Orestes is guilty or not in the last part of the third play?

4. Whose ghost is urging the Eumenides to chase Orestes?

5. What does Apollo tell the court about his decree to Orestes?

(see the answer keys)

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