The Greeks Reading Assessment

Prometheus approached Zeus because:

• he wanted to steal fire for humans.

• he sought permission to create mankind.

• he wished to overthrow Zeus.

• he wanted to marry a goddess.

How does Zeus justify keeping man in ignorance and darkness?

• By claiming it is for their own protection

• By stating it is a punishment for past sins

• By arguing it maintains order

• By saying it is the will of the gods

Why Prometheus uses personification when describing fire?

• To make it easier for man to understand fire by comparing fire's qualities to a person's.

• To explain that fire is literally a person who is unpredictable and needs to be managed well.

• To show how fire represents the strong feelings man will experience after he loses his ignorance.

• To show that he wants man to understand fire's relationship to the sun.

Zeus warns Prometheus about giving fire to humans because:

• he wants to protect humans from its dangers

• he fears humans will become too powerful

• he believes fire is sacred and should not be shared

• he is concerned about the environmental impact

What does Prometheus’s belief that man should have fire? Choose TWO answers.

• a. “He crouches in caves. He is at the mercy of beast and weather. He eats his meat raw.” (4)

• b. “If you mean something by this, enlighten me with your wisdom.” (4)

• c. “On the other hand, he does not know disease, warfare, old age, or that inward pest called worry.” (5)

• d. “He has another quality…the capacity for worship.” (7)

• e. “Would not fire, and the graces he can put on with fire, make him more interesting?” (8)

How would Zeus describe man’s life without knowledge of 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 the theme of the myth?

• 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.

What is the danger Zeus sees in man becoming too proud?

• For there is this in man too: a vaunting pride that needs little sustenance to make it swell to giant size.

• Enough, Prometheus!

• Improve his lot, and he will forget that which makes him pleasing—his sense of worship, his humility.

• More interesting, perhaps, but infinitely more dangerous.

• He will grow big and poisoned with pride and fancy himself a god, and before we know it, we shall see him storming Olympus.

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.

How is the plot developed in the Prometheus story?

• 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.