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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 does Creon advise Oedipus to do after the former relays the message from the murdered king?
(a) Pray to Zeus.
(b) Renounce the throne.
(c) Consult with Tiresias.
(d) Commit suicide.

2. What is the chorus in the fifth act of "Oedipus" questioning when they learn about their king's punishment?
(a) Humanity's tendencies to make mistakes.
(b) The self-fulfilling nature of prophecies.
(c) The hatred Oedipus must feel for himself.
(d) The justice of fate.

3. What course of action does Tiresias propose he take in order to help avenge the king's murder?
(a) He will summon the king's ghost.
(b) He will pray to Zeus for guidance.
(c) He will sacrifice himself to the gods for the end of the plague.
(d) He will go to the Oracle himself.

4. According to Hecuba, what also died on the same day as her warrior son?
(a) Her heart.
(b) Priam's resolve to win the war.
(c) Troy.
(d) Hope.

5. What has happened to the Trojan widows after their army was defeated?
(a) The women escaped the city.
(b) The women took up arms to defend themselves.
(c) The women have all been claimed by the Greeks.
(d) The women have all been prepared for suicide.

Short Answer Questions

1. For whom do Hecuba and the chorus lament, though they say nothing will ever adequately express their loss?

2. Who is Oedipus' father in Corinth?

3. Who was murdered before the beginning of "Oedipus"?

4. Who is Hecuba?

5. In the fourth act of "Oedipus," what does the titular character recall before his arrival in the city?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reasons do the Greeks want to sacrifice Astyanax?

2. In the first act of "Troades," for whom does Hecuba lead the grief-stricken chorus and why?

3. Why does Tiresias summon Laius' ghost?

4. Why is Creon reluctant to give Oedipus the information from Laius' ghost?

5. How and why does Jocasta commit suicide?

6. Why is Creon sent to Delphi and what does he learn?

7. For what reasons does Agamemnon claim to forgo sacrificing a maiden?

8. Who is Hector and why is he important to the Trojans and Greeks?

9. Why are the Greeks unable to leave Troy in the beginning of "Troades"?

10. Why is Oedipus summoned back to Corinth and why is he reluctant to go?

(see the answer keys)

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