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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Trimalchio's wife?

2. How does the decorated platter play into the entertainment for the evening?

3. What color is the wig of Encolpius?

4. What does a complaining student say happens to children who start school too young?

5. Who does Encolpius find weeping as he leaves the place the old woman took him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Encolpius and Ascyltus go to the marketplace to sell a stolen cloak?

2. Why does Ascyltus call Encolpius a hypocrite? Explain the situation.

3. How does Trimalchio arrive at his dinner party and how is he dressed for the occasion?

4. How does Petronius treat sordid events in his story? How would other writers from the era have treated them?

5. Who does Encolpius want to stab in the spleen and why?

6. What was Petronius' title in the emperor's court and what significance was the title?

7. What joke involving a pig does Trimalchio play on his guests?

8. What is Ascyltus' response when Encolpius confronts him about the attempted rape of Giton?

9. What about "The Satyricon" resulted in it being viewed as inferior literature in the past?

10. What is Menippean satire?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Name and define the five types of conflict. Which conflict prevailed in both stories? Explain the conflict in detail, using examples from both stories.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of women in "The Satyricon."

Essay Topic 3

Irony is the contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. There are three types of irony: verbal, situational and dramatic. Identify and discuss two examples of irony in each story. Which type of irony is it? What is expected and what actually occurs with your examples?

(see the answer keys)

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