The Odyssey Quiz

1. Ordinary World

Before Odysseus begins his journey, what is his life like?

• Odysseus is a wandering merchant seeking fortune across the seas.
• Odysseus's life is that of a king in Ithaca, living peacefully with his wife and newborn before embarking on his journey.

• Odysseus lives as a soldier in a distant land, far from his home.
• Odysseus is a farmer struggling to make ends meet in his village.

2. Call to Adventure

What event begins Odysseus’s long journey away from home?

• The Battle of Marathon
• The Siege of Troy
• The Journey to Ithaca
• The Trojan War

Which two epic works are attributed to the blind poet Homer?

• The Aeneid and The Odyssey

• The Iliad and The Odyssey

• The Argonautica and The Iliad

• The Theogony and The Odyssey

What was the name of Odysseus's homeland, which he longed to return to after the Trojan War?

• Sparta

• Athens

• Ithaca

• Troy

What effect did the fruit of the lotus trees have on Odysseus's crew?

• It gave them superhuman strength.

• It made them forget their past and want to stay on the island.

• It caused them to become aggressive and violent.

• It healed all their wounds and illnesses.

What name did Odysseus give to Polyphemus to trick him?

• Nobody

• Hero

• Traveler

• Stranger

4. Meeting the Mentor

Which figure acts as a mentor or guide for Odysseus?

• Hera
• Athena
• Poseidon
• Zeus

What gift did King Aeolus give Odysseus to help him return home?

• A map to Ithaca

• A bag containing the power of the winds

• A magical sword

• A chest of gold and silver

What happened to Odysseus's ships when he landed in Laestrygonia?

• They were welcomed and resupplied.

• They were all destroyed by giant cannibals except for one.

• They were stolen by the local inhabitants.

• They were caught in a storm and sank.

What did Circe do to Odysseus's men after inviting them to dine?

• She offered them safe passage to Ithaca.

• She turned them into pigs.

• She gave them magical powers.

• She revealed the location of a hidden treasure.