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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. Why do kings send their daughters to Lycomedes?

2. How old is Patroclus when he is orphaned?

3. Who tells Patroclus where Achilles has been taken, when he disappears after their intimacies?

4. Why is Patroclus threatened with punishment at Peleus’ house?

5. What color sails do traders typically use on their ships?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Patroclus end up fighting Achilles, and what is the outcome?

2. How does Patroclus’ life change when he arrives at Peleus’ court?

3. Why does Deidameia accuse Achilles of being ‘apathos,’ or heartless?

4. Describe Achilles’ relationship with Deidameia.

5. Where does Achilles get abducted to, after the news comes from Mycenae, and how does Patroclus find him?

6. What gift does Chiron send Achilles to Troy with?

7. How does the news of the war find Achilles and Patroclus on Scyros?

8. What is the important question Chiron asks Achilles, and what is Achilles’ response?

9. What is Patroclus’ first impression of Achilles at his home?

10. Why does Patroclus’ father take him to bid for Tyndareus’ hand in marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the role of women in The Song of Achilles. How are they portrayed? What traits distinguish them from the men? What flexibility do the female characters have, to change how they are perceived, or to exceed the rules for women?

Essay Topic 2

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 3

Patroclus’ name represents the split in Achilles’ character: it incorporates both Pater (fatherland) and kleos (immortal fame). The part is reprised by Cleopatra, in the story of Meleager. How does Patroclus himself mirror this split in Achilles’ character, and how is the tension between these two choices ultimately resolved?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 768 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample