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

2. What happened to Clytemnestra in her dream when she tried to nurse what she'd been birthed?
(a) The snake bit her and drew blood.
(b) The lion mauled her.
(c) The gorgon turned her to stone.
(d) The goat ran away.

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

4. According to Apollo in the first part of the third play, where must Orestes travel?
(a) Mycenae.
(b) Crete.
(c) Athens.
(d) Sparta.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the Furies turn into at Athena's behest at the very end of The Oresteia?

2. What do the Furies tell Apollo about their hunt for Orestes?

3. What does Pylades advise Orestes to do?

4. Why does Clytemnestra grieve after the false news of her son's death?

5. What does Athena decide about the case presented to her by Orestes and the Furies?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Clytemnestra's dream significant to Orestes?

2. How does Orestes defend himself in his trial?

3. What does Orestes mean when he cries out to Zeus in the second part of "The Libation Bearers"?

4. In the beginning of "The Eumenides", what is the oracle's vision and what does it mean?

5. Why does Apollo appear to Orestes while at Delphi?

6. How does the chorus influence Cilissa when she enters?

7. What was Clytemnestra's dream?

8. According to what he tells Electra and the chorus, why is Orestes seeking vengeance for his father's death?

9. What is the conflict between the Furies and Apollo?

10. After receiving false news in the third part of the second play, what is Clytemnestra's reaction to news of Orestes' supposed death?

(see the answer keys)

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