6D The Greeks

Which lines from the story supports Prometheus's belief that man should have fire?

• "He crouches in caves. He is at the mercy of beast and weather. He eats his meat raw."

• "If you mean something by this, enlighten me with your wisdom."

• "On the other hand, he does not know disease, warfare, old age, or that inward pest called worry."

• "He has another quality...the capacity for worship."

• "Would not fire, and the graces he can put on with fire, make him more interesting?"

How does Zeus describe man's life WITHOUT fire?

• "Man is happier without knowledge of fire."

• "Man is limited without knowledge of fire."

• "Man is like a wild animal without knowledge of fire."

• "Man has more pride without knowledge of fire."

Which choice BEST describes how paragraph 5 contributes to the theme of the myth?

Zeus answered, “Do you not know, Prometheus, that every gift brings a penalty? This is the way the Fates weave destiny—by which gods also must abide. Man does not have fire, true, nor the crafts which fire teaches. On the other hand, he does not know disease, warfare, old age, or that inward pest called worry. He is happy, I say, happy without fire. And so he shall remain.”

• It shows Prometheus's belief that man deserves knowledge of fire.

• It shows Zeus's belief that knowledge comes with a price.

• It indicates that knowing about fire does not have many benefits.

• It indicates that no one can change their fate—even the gods.

"It was so hot, so quick; it bit sharply when you touched it, and for pure spite, made the shadows dance." What does the figurative language in this quote reveal about how men first viewed the gift from Prometheus?

The figurative language shows that men thought the gift was __________.

• new and exciting

• dangerous and mysterious

• powerful and valuable

• entertaining and useless

It is an ill-natured spirit, a little brother of the sun, but if you handle it carefully, it can change your whole life. It is very greedy; you must feed it twigs, but only until it becomes a proper size. Then you must stop, or it will eat everything in sight—and you too. If it escapes, use this magic: water. It fears the water spirit, and if you touch it with water, it will fly away until you need it again.

Which statement BEST explains why Prometheus uses personification when describing fire?

• When Prometheus uses personification, he makes it easier for man to understand fire by comparing fire's qualities to a person’s.

• When Prometheus uses personification, he explains that fire is literally a person who is unpredictable and needs to be managed well.

• When Prometheus uses personification, he shows how fire represents the strong feelings man will experience after he loses his ignorance.

• When Prometheus uses personification, he shows that he wants man to understand fire’s relationship to the sun.

Then one day Zeus looked down from the mountain and was amazed. Everything had changed. Man had come out of his cave. Zeus saw woodmen’s huts, farm houses, villages, walled towns, even a castle or two. He saw men cooking their food, carrying torches to light their way at night. He saw forges blazing, men beating out ploughs, keels, swords, spears. They were making ships and raising white wings of sails and daring to use the fury of the winds for their journeys. They were wearing helmets, riding out in chariots to do battle, like the gods themselves.

How does paragraph 14 contribute to the development of the plot?

• It describes how Prometheus challenged Zeus's authority.

• It tells how Zeus will punish Prometheus.

• It reveals that knowledge of fire does come with a price.

• It shows how people changed after Prometheus gave them knowledge of fire.

Zeus considers destroying the humans with fire, but decides instead to “Let them destroy themselves with their new skills.”

This infers that Zeus believes that

• humans will not be able to control fire and they will burn.

• humans will forget to worship the gods, who will take vengeance.

• humans will use their new tools to go to war.

• humans will fight over who can control the fire.

The Cyclops took the wine and drank it up. And the delicious drink gave him such exquisite pleasure that he asked me for another bowlful. “Give me more, please, and tell me your name, here and now – I would like to make you a gift that will please you. We Cyclopes have wine of our own made from the grapes that our rich soil and rains from Zeus produce. But this vintage of yours is a drop of the real nectar and ambrosia.”

Which sentence BEST implies that the Cyclops is going to be kinder to Odysseus and his men?

• The Cyclops took the wine and drank it up.

• And the delicious drink gave him such exquisite pleasure that he asked me for another bowlful.

• "Give me more, please, and tell me your name, here and now—I would like to make you a gift that will please you."

• We Cyclops have wine of our own made from the grapes that our rich soil and rains from Zeus produce.

• But this vintage of yours is a drop of the real nectar and ambrosia.

"So said the Cyclops, and I handed him another bowlful of the sparkling wine. Three times I filled it for him; and three times the fool drained the bowl to the dregs. At last, when the wine had fuddled his wits, I addressed him with soothing words."

What does the word "fool" reveal about Odysseus's attitude toward the Cyclops?

• Odysseus believes the Cyclops has no self-control.

• Odysseus believes the Cyclops has a very short memory.

• Odysseus believes the Cyclops will fall asleep soon.

• Odysseus believes the Cyclops will be easy to trick.

Which choice BEST describes how paragraph 34 contributes to the development of the story?

• It shows that the Cyclops has decided not to eat anybody because of the gift.

• It indicates that the Cyclops has imprisoned men in this way before.

• It shows how dangerous it is for Odysseus and his men to be trapped by the Cyclops.

• It shows how Odysseus’s relationship with the Cyclops is improving.