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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. Where did the first creation story Leeming cites come from?

2. How do the Greeks explain the presence of winter?

3. How does Bumba create the earth in Boshongo creation myth?

4. What does Leeming say the Egyptian pantheon is centered on?

5. When was the New Testament book of Revelation likely composed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What psychological metaphor does Leeming see at the heart of creation myths?

2. What does Leeming say the Supreme Being represents in myths?

3. How does Leeming describe the Norse pantheon?

4. Describe the Mesopotamian creation myth.

5. What stories or topics does Leeming include in the category of cosmic myths?

6. Describe the stages through which the Greek pantheon developed, in Leeming's account.

7. How does Leeming say that pantheons can be described?

8. Where does Leeming say the figures of Supreme Beings came from in myths?

9. How does Leeming define the cosmic myth?

10. Who are the primary gods in the Egyptian pantheon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Read another book about mythology--even something short, like Karen Armstrong's "A Short History of Myth"--and compare and contrast Leeming's approach to myth to another author's. What are Leeming's main preoccupations, and what are his methods? What is his style for expressing them? What does he tend to include? What does he omit? How can you characterize Leeming's intellectual personality?

Essay Topic 2

Write an evaluative review of Leeming's The World of Myth. Where is the book most itself? Where is it unresolved, or rife with internal tensions? How are those tensions contained? What if any forces are trying to pull The World of Myth apart?

Essay Topic 3

What is the setting for a myth, and is this collection the proper place for keeping these myths alive? Does a myth require a ceremonial, ritual, or religious setting, or a certain storytelling environment, or is a myth no matter where it is told or recorded. How much is a myth dependent on the circumstances of its telling? Is a myth different when it is analyzed than it is when it is told as a story in response to events of a question?

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