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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do the Furies demand to know in court from Orestes?
(a) They demand to know how he keeps getting favored by the gods.
(b) They demand he explain what he did and why.
(c) They demand to know why he was exiled for so many years.
(d) They demand to know whether he loved his mother or not.

2. To whom does the oracle pray after her vision in the beginning of The Eumenides?
(a) Hermes.
(b) Athena.
(c) Zeus.
(d) Apollo.

3. What has Electra been forced to do in the years since her father's death?
(a) Mourn him in secret.
(b) Treat Aegisthus as her father.
(c) Disown her father.
(d) Disown her brother.

4. What does Apollo claim about mothers and fathers in the last part of "The Eumenides"?
(a) The father is much more important than the mother.
(b) The mother is much more important than the father.
(c) The mother and father are always equal, except in the case of Clytemnestra.
(d) The mother and father are equal.

5. What ends up freeing Orestes from the Furies at the end of "The Eumenides"?
(a) Agamemnon's spirit asks the Furies to pursue him in Orestes' place.
(b) The Areopagus votes for Orestes.
(c) Clytemnestra's spirit pleads for her son's freedom.
(d) Athena's vote for Orestes breaks the tie in the Areopagus.

6. What will be the first action taken when Orestes and Pylades infiltrate the palace?
(a) Clytemnestra will be killed.
(b) Aegisthus will be killed.
(c) Electra will be guided to safety.
(d) Cilissa will be alerted.

7. What does Orestes believe about the vision he is having at the end of "The Libation Bearers"?
(a) His mother will haunt him for all his days.
(b) His father is cursing his son's actions.
(c) Aegisthus will try to avenge his death upon Electra.
(d) The Furies are going to take revenge upon him for his mother.

8. What is coming true for Clytemnestra in the fourth part of "The Libation Bearers"?
(a) A blessing given to her by Hera.
(b) A curse passed on by Apollo.
(c) A prophecy revealed by Demeter.
(d) Her dream about the snake.

9. What do the Furies claim about Orestes to Athena?
(a) He is cursed by his mother.
(b) He will kill all women if allowed to live.
(c) He will taint his sister's grace if allowed to live.
(d) He is unfit to speak for himself.

10. What does Athena name the judges who will vote on whether Orestes is guilty or not in the last part of the third play?
(a) The Areopagus.
(b) The oracles.
(c) The Colopagus.
(d) The Eumidagos.

11. What do the Furies turn into at Athena's behest at the very end of The Oresteia?
(a) They become messengers alongside Hermes.
(b) They become agents of Athena's warriors.
(c) They become agents aiming for the betterment of the world.
(d) They allow themselves to dissolve into nothingness.

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

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

14. What does Apollo tell the court about his decree to Orestes?
(a) He favored Agamemnon and was avenging his death.
(b) He cursed Clytemnestra and was passing on judgment.
(c) He was not acting upon any other's will but his own.
(d) He was passing on Zeus's judgment about justice.

15. Whose ghost is urging the Eumenides to chase Orestes?
(a) Clytemnestra.
(b) Electra.
(c) Agamemnon.
(d) Hera.

Short Answer Questions

1. For what does the chorus pray in the third part of the second play?

2. What does Clytemnestra call out for when she hears the noise from inside the palace in the third part of "The Libation Bearers"?

3. What does Orestes hold up as proof that his father has been avenged?

4. According to the chorus, to what did Clytemnestra give birth in her dream?

5. Who is the oracle?

(see the answer keys)

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