The Odyssey Quiz Part 1

If people are described as fugitives from justice, which statement is most likely to be true of them?

• They have run away to avoid arrest.

• They are being held in jail.

• They have been found not guilty at trial.

• They have committed a minor crime.

In which activity would you be most likely to apply tactics?

• participating in ballroom dancing

• knitting a scarf

• playing a game of chess

• playing a guitar solo

If a fathom is a measure of depth, what does fathomless most likely mean?

• to have a measure of width

• to be of average depth

• to have no measurement tools

• to be too deep to measure

What danger do the Lotus-Eaters pose to Odysseus’ men in the excerpt from The Odyssey, Part 1?

• The Lotus-Eaters are dishonest and try to mislead the crew

• They are dangerous cannibals.

• They cause the winds to subside.

• The lotus plant causes them to lose interest in returning home.

What quality of Odysseus is most clearly illustrated when he tells Cyclops his name is "Nobody?"

• He is trained for battle.

• He is an effective leader.

• He is clever.

• He is courageous.

Why does Odysseus blind Cyclops rather than kill him in his sleep?

• He needs Cyclops to move the stone that blocks the cave’s entrance

• He lacks the physical strength to kill the giant.

• He knows Poseidon will curse him if he kills the Cyclops.

• He has compassion for the foolish Cyclops.

In which of these episodes does Odysseus lose all his men?

• “The Cyclops”

• “The Lotus-Eaters”

• “The Sirens”

• “The Cattle of the Sun God”

At the end of the episode with Cyclops, what does Polyphemus do that affects future events in the epic?

• He destroys Odysseus’ ship.

• He begs his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus.

• He prophesies that Odysseus will visit Hades.

• He tells Odysseus that he will chase him back to Ithaca.

Why does most of the excerpt from The Odyssey, Part 1 qualify as a flashback? 

• Homer opens the narrative with an invocation to the muse of epic poetry.

• Homer hints at dangers that Odysseus will face in future episodes of the epic.

• The adventures of Odysseus are set in the distant past, in ancient Greece.

• Homer interrupts the story of Odysseus’ journey home by having Odysseus tell Alcinous of earlier events.

Which of these quotations best illustrates typical qualities of an epic hero?

• “We beached her, grinding keel in the soft sand, / and waded in, ourselves, on the sandy beach.”

• “Now, by the gods, I drove my big hand spike / deep in the embers, charring it again, / and cheered my men along with battle talk / to keep their courage up: no quitting now.”

• “In the next land we found were Cyclopes, / giants, louts, without a law to bless them.”