This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Zorba's gift prompt Madame Hortense to do?
(a) Talk about her love affairs.
(b) Profess her love for Zorba.
(c) Leave the room.
(d) Start crying.

2. What painting does Zorba present to Madame Hortense?
(a) A portrait of the two of them in front of a castle.
(b) A painting of her as a siren leading battleships.
(c) A portrait of the two of them in a garden.
(d) A painting of her as a goddess.

3. What are Zorba's beliefs about the existence of God?
(a) He looks to Anagnosti for all of his religious questions and shares his beliefs.
(b) He believes in a higher power but not in religion.
(c) He does not personally believe in God but believes religion is essential to civilization.
(d) He is a Christian.

4. What does Zorba tell the narrator he should have done before going to bed the night before in chapter 4?
(a) He says the narrator should have told Dame Hortense how beautiful she is.
(b) Zorba tells him that he should have meditated.
(c) He tells him he should have cleaned the house.
(d) He tells the narrator that he should have made some work notes for the following day.

5. Why does Zorba tell the narrator not to preach equality of the sexes?
(a) He says it will disrupt the island's way of life without offering solutions for making it better.
(b) He says that Anagnosti will kill him if he does.
(c) He says that the people of Crete believe in equality of the sexes already.
(d) He says it is all lies anyway.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Zorba feel about women?

2. How does Lola refer to Zorba?

3. What does Zorba indicate would be the worst thing the narrator could do to Anagnosti?

4. Who is the second person to offer the narrator and Zorba lodging in Crete?

5. Where is the narrator sitting and thinking at the beginning of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the first time that the narrator sees the widow.

2. What does Zorba's version of God look like?

3. When Zorba encourages the narrator to be more like he is and pursue the widow, how does this contradict Zorba's other advice?

4. Describe the narrator's relationship with his old friend.

5. How does Zorba's version of the devil living inside him compare to Zorba himself?

6. Explain the parrot's role in the life of Madame Hortense and her guests.

7. In Chapter 3, how are the relationships between men and women on Crete exhibited?

8. How does the fact that Zorba is missing half of his finger relate to his connection between manliness and freedom?

9. What feelings does Zorba express about religion?

10. What does Zorba represent in the story?

Multiple Choice Answer Key

Short Answer Key

1. How does Zorba feel about women?

He does not take them seriously but enjoys them physically.

2. How does Lola refer to Zorba?

Grandad.

3. What does Zorba indicate would be the worst thing the narrator could do to Anagnosti?

Cast down his religion.

4. Who is the second person to offer the narrator and Zorba lodging in Crete?

The village elder.

5. Where is the narrator sitting and thinking at the beginning of the story?

In a bar.

Short Essay Answer Key

1. Describe the first time that the narrator sees the widow.

The narrator and Zorba duck into a cafe in the middle of a rainstorm, and from here, they see the widow run past the window. The narrator immediately finds her beautiful, although there are a variety of responses to her presence, not all of them positive. Soon after, Mimiko enters and reports that the widow has lost her sheep and offers a reward to anyone who can help return it to her.

2. What does Zorba's version of God look like?

Zorba claims to be an atheist, but he does tell the narrator that God is likely a more outrageous version of himself for whom forgiveness is not difficult, and who does not want to be worshiped.

3. When Zorba encourages the narrator to be more like he is and pursue the widow, how does this contradict Zorba's other advice?

Previously, Zorba told a parable about a crow who tries to walk like a pigeon, reinforcing his idea that one must remain true to his true and individual identity. Zorba's disappointment with the narrator when he is unable to be the man of sensuality that Zorba is, contradicts this parable to some extent.

4. Describe the narrator's relationship with his old friend.

The narrator and his friend have a deep connection and love for one another. However, the connection is largely unspoken as the two men often argue rather than express emotion to one another. The soldier friend is more of an adventurer than the narrator, and often teases the narrator for being such a bookworm. The two men contrast one another; the narrator is more of a philosopher who is focused on a higher power, while the friend is a soldier who believes in living his life for his fellow man and his nation. The connection between the two men, despite their differences, is clear in their agreement to send mental messages to one another if they sense danger. This obviously indicates that they believe strongly in their connection and friendship.

5. How does Zorba's version of the devil living inside him compare to Zorba himself?

Zorba says that the devil is a mirror image of himself. The only difference is that the devil refuses to grow old. He also wears a red carnation behind his ear.

6. Explain the parrot's role in the life of Madame Hortense and her guests.

Hortense's parrot is a constant reminder of Madame Hortense's greatest love. As a possession, it has been trained to say Canavaro's name repeatedly and therefore to challenge the immediacy of Zorba's manliness.

7. In Chapter 3, how are the relationships between men and women on Crete exhibited?

In the beginning of the chapter, the narrator's encounter with the young women in the country exhibits the historical impact of war and violence on the male/female relationship. They are immediately frightened of him as a stranger, and so their encounter is stunted. Mavrandoni's offer to let the men stay in his house to avoid the scandal of staying with a woman also exhibits a level of division and acceptable interaction between men and women.

8. How does the fact that Zorba is missing half of his finger relate to his connection between manliness and freedom?

Zorba says that he cut part of his finger off because it got in the way of making pottery. He argues that anything that gets in the way of man doing what he wants should be removed. Because it takes a great deal of physical and mental courage to remove a body part, the connection for Zorba is strong.

9. What feelings does Zorba express about religion?

Zorba claims to be an atheist. However, when it comes to the other villagers, Zorba believes that religion is not only important but is the center of their way of life. He warns the narrator that speaking against religion to the villagers is not wise as it is better for them than having no organized structure at all.

10. What does Zorba represent in the story?

Zorba represents a man who lives for the physical world and ultimately for the individual self in that world. He is an agent of instinct and lacks theoretical reason for his actions. For the narrator, Zorba is a potential symbol of freedom in the narrator's quest to find freedom.