Understanding Epic Poetry and Oral Tradition

What is a primary characteristic of epic poems like the Iliad and the Odyssey?

• They were meant to be read silently in libraries.

• They were short, simple narratives.

• They were sung by a poet to a lyre for a live audience.

• They focused exclusively on everyday life.

What is an epithet in the context of epic poetry?

• A type of musical instrument used by bards.

• A repeated adjectival phrase used to characterize a person or thing.

• A long, complex narrative structure.

• A specific rhythm used to make stories harder to remember.

What was the main purpose of dactylic hexameter in oral epic poetry?

• To make the poems more difficult for audiences to follow.

• To provide a steady rhythm that aided bards in remembering and performing long stories.

• To ensure that every performance was exactly the same.

• To add visual flair to the written text.

According to the Oral-Formulaic Theory, how did bards primarily compose their stories?

• By memorizing a fixed script word for word.

• By improvising using a stock of formulas and set phrases.

• By reading from written texts during performances.

• By composing entirely new stories for each performance without any pre-existing elements.

What do scholars generally agree on regarding the nature of oral poems?

• They were static, unchanging texts.

• They were primarily meant for silent reading.

• They were living, breathing events, not just words on a page.

• They had no cultural or ethical reflection.

Which bard in the Odyssey sings about the Wooden Horse, revealing Odysseus's cunning?

• Phemius

• Achilles

• Demodocus

• Athena

What evidence do "Unitarians" typically cite to support the idea of a single author for the Homeric epics?

• The presence of multiple Greek dialects.

• Inconsistencies and plot holes within the narratives.

• The structural unity and consistent style of the poems.

• The fact that the poems were performed by many different bards.

When did the first standardized written versions of the Homeric epics likely appear, possibly for festival competitions?

• 9th-7th century BCE

• c. 550 BCE

• 3rd-2nd century BCE

• 15th century CE