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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. What, according to the herald, is worth the suffering of the soldiers?
(a) The blessings of the gods.
(b) The homecoming.
(c) Love.
(d) Victory at war.

2. How does the chorus feel about Cassandra?
(a) They are in awe of her.
(b) They sympathize with her.
(c) They are dismissive of her.
(d) They are repulsed by her.

3. What does the herald ask of the gods?
(a) He asks that they continue to bless Agamemnon on his return home.
(b) He asks that they send a sign for whether he should leave the city.
(c) He asks that they bless Clytemnestra and her family.
(d) He asks that they send Agamemmon good winds for his journey.

4. After Cassandra enters the castle and their monologue is interrupted, what dispute rises amongst the chorus?
(a) They do not know whether to stop the murder or let it be.
(b) They do not know if Cassandra spoke the truth.
(c) They do not know if Agamemnon or Clytemnestra is the more vicious of the two rulers.
(d) They do not know if there are gods walking among them.

5. What was Paris's actual deed that set off the Trojan War?
(a) He kidnapped Helen.
(b) He murdered Menelaus.
(c) He rejected Apollo.
(d) He dishonored Aphrodite.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the chorus of women, what will atone for the murder of Agamemnon?

2. What is Aegisthus's relationship to Clytemnestra as demonstrated at the end of "The Agamemnon"?

3. What does Electra find when she wonders aloud if her brother has returned?

4. How does Electra know the offering on the tomb came from Orestes?

5. What had Clytemnestra told her daughter to say in her prayers before she comes to the tomb in the second play?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Orestes find mysterious about the women approaching Agamemnon's tomb?

2. What is Clytemnestra's vision for the future after the death of Agamemnon?

3. Why does Aegisthus threaten the chorus?

4. How did Agamemnon make the winds blow so that they might sail to Troy before the events of the play?

5. What is the dispute Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have about his homecoming?

6. What is the continuing theme among the chorus as to what happened to Troy and why?

7. Why is Orestes praying to Hermes and Zeus at beginning of "The Libation Bearers"?

8. What dispute does Clytemnestra have with the chorus over the consequences of her murdering Agamemnon and Cassandra?

9. For what is Agamemnon praised and what is his response when he returns to Mycenae?

10. What are the herald's thoughts on the effects of the war?

(see the answer keys)

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