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The Odyssey Quest Review

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Part 2 of the Odyssey is mainly about Odysseus’

a)

influence with the gods

b)

heroic deeds

c)

love of travel

d)

loyalty to Helios

2.

The epithet “Laertes’ son,” frequently applied to Odysseus, emphasizes

a)

Laertes’ high standards for Odysseus

b)

Laertes’ trust in Odysseus

c)

Odysseus’ lack of maturity

d)

Odysseus’ loyalty to his family

3.

Whom does the narrator of the Odyssey invoke in order to inspire him to tell the story?

a)

Jesus Christ

b)

The Muse

c)

His deceased ancestors

d)

Zeus

4.

When does the story take place?

a)

Ten years after the Trojan War

b)

In the middle of the Trojan War

c)

Ten years before the Trojan War

d)

33 A.D.

5.

Why won't Calypso let Odysseus leave the island of Ogygia?

a)

She has fallen in love with him.

b)

He is a threat to her power.

c)

She made a promise to Penelope.

d)

The gods told her not to let Odysseus leave.

6.

What does Athena inform the audience about Odysseus's plight?

a)

Odysseus has died in battle and cannot be found.

b)

Odysseus has fallen in love with another woman.

c)

Odysseus is alive and will return to Ithaca.

d)

Odysseus will never return to his wife and son.

7.

When does Penelope say that she will choose a suitor?

a)

When she finishes knitting a burial shroud.

b)

When Telemachus finally gets married.

c)

When Calypso lets Odysseus leave Ogygia.

d)

When Athena forces her to choose one.

8.

What did Clytemnestra do while Agamemnon was at war?

a)

She supported her husband.

b)

She married another man, Aegisthus.

c)

She fled from Greece.

d)

She traveled to visit Penelope.

9.

What do Menelaus and Helen say about Odysseus?

a)

They tell Telemachus that they have no news of Odysseus.

b)

They slander Odysseus and discuss his cowardice.

c)

Menelaus reveals that he and Odysseus fled from Troy together.

d)

They give examples of his cleverness and masterful disguises.

10.

What happens to Odysseus's men after they destroy Ismarus?

a)

They narrowly escape attack from the native villagers.

b)

They come to power and take over the city.

c)

They take the time to reinforce their own armies.

d)

They seek local women to take as wives.

11.

What happens when Odysseus's men eat the lotus flower?

a)

They become bewitched by the land's women

b)

They become greedy and ransack the city.

c)

They lose all desire to do anything but eat the flowers.

d)

They violently rebel against Odysseus.

12.

What is the Cyclops's name?

a)

Polynomial

b)

Polyphemus

c)

Polygon

d)

Polymorphous

13.

Who is Polyphemus's father?

a)

Zeus

b)

Odysseus

c)

Cicones

d)

Poseidon

14.

What do Odysseus and his men to to Polyphemus when he gets drunk?

a)

Run out of the cave

b)

Kill him

c)

Blind him

d)

Call out to his neighbors

15.

What name does Odysseus give to Polyphemus?

a)

Alcinous

b)

Antinous

c)

Nohbody

d)

Somebody

16.

What does King Aeolus give Odysseus?

a)

Advice for his future interaction with Circe.

b)

A bag of winds that will direct him home.

c)

Predictions of future dangers situations.

d)

All the he needs to defeat Poseidon in battle.

17.

What does Circe do to some of Odysseus's men?

a)

She seduces them.

b)

She devours them.

c)

She turns them into pigs.

d)

She sends them back to Ithaca.

18.

Why does Odysseus stay with Circe for a year?

a)

He cannot escape as a pig.

b)

He does not have a working ship.

c)

He gives up on his journey.

d)

He becomes Circe's lover.

19.

What does Odysseus do when he approaches the islands of the Sirens?

a)

He listens to the sirens while tied to the ship's mast.

b)

He plugs his ears with wax.

c)

He changes course and heads back to Circe's island.

d)

He prays for Athen's help.

20.

What are Scylla and Charybdis?

a)

Two Greek gods

b)

A monster and a whirlpool

c)

Two of Penelope's suitors

d)

A witch and a Cyclops

21.

What do Odysseus's men do on the Island of the Sun?

a)

They leave Odysseus behind.

b)

They kill forbidden cow.

c)

They pillage the entire island.

d)

They ask Zeus to punish Odysseus.

22.

What does Athena do to help Odysseus in Ithaca?

a)

She disguises him as an old beggar.

b)

She helps him kill Penelope's suitors.

c)

She reveals Poseidon's plan for revenge?

d)

She leads him to a place where he can rest.

23.

How do the other suitors greet the disguised Odysseus?

a)

They welcome him as competition.

b)

They insult and beat him.

c)

They let him in on their plans.

d)

They recognize him as Odysseus.

24.

What is Penelope's challenge to the suitors?

a)

To write love poetry in her honor.

b)

To win fights against each other.

c)

To string and shoot Odysseus's bow.

d)

To win Telemachus's affections.

25.

What does Odysseus promise to Eumaeus and Philoteus if they help him?

a)

The kingdom of Ithaca.

b)

A change at the challenge.

c)

To treat them as equal to Telemachus.

d)

Any bride in his kingdom.

26.

What do the suitors initially think when Odysseus shoots Antinous?

a)

That it was accidental.

b)

That Odysseus is an assassin.

c)

That Antinous deserved it.

d)

That Telemachus bribed him.

27.

Which of the following sentences best summarizes the Argos episode?

a)

Odysseus fails to recognize his faithful dog Argos who then dies of neglect.

b)

A dog named Argos is near death and lies unnoticed by his former master, Odysseus.

c)

Odysseus' faithful dog Argos, weak through neglect and abuse, wags his tail at the sound of Odysseus's voice, and then he dies.

d)

Before Odysseus can wean his dog Argos back to heath, the neglected animal dies.

28.

The episode about Argos, Odysseus's dog, is important to the overall plot of Part 2 because it emphasizes

a)

the length of Odysseus's absence from home.

b)

Eumaeus's awareness of Odysseus's disguise.

c)

Argos's undying loyalty to his master.

d)

The qualities that people and animals have in their youth.

29.

How long does it take Odysseus to get home to Ithaca after the Trojan War?

a)

2 years

b)

5 years

c)

10 years

d)

20 years

30.

What quality is NOT necessary for Odysseus to possess in order to succeed in the various challenges he encounters while on his journey home?

a)

courage

b)

intelligent

c)

wealth

d)

strength

31.

Why must Odysseus remain in disguise upon his return home to Ithaca.

a)

Odysseus doesn't know where he is.

b)

if the suitors find out that Odysseus has returned they will try to kill him.

c)

Odysseus wants to surprise Penelope.

d)

Poseidon will find Odysseus and kill him.

32.

Poseidon creates may challenging suitors that Odysseus must overcome. For what does Poseidon seek revenge on Odysseus?

a)

Odysseus helped defeat Troy in the Trojan War.

b)

Poseidon's son is one of the suitors trying to marry Penelope.

c)

Odysseus hurt Poseidon's son.

d)

Odysseus killed on of Poseidon's daughters.

33.

How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus?

a)

the scar on Odysseus' leg.

b)

the clothes Odysseus is wearing.

c)

the birthmark on Odysseus' chest.

d)

by Odysseus' voice.

34.

A majority of The Odyssey is told in 3rd person from the perspective of the epic poet. What literary element does Odysseus use when he tells his part of the story?

a)

suspense

b)

oral poetry

c)

foreshadowing

d)

flashback

35.

Why do the suitors remain at Odysseus and Penelope's home for many years?

a)

They want to help Telemachus find Odysseus.

b)

They want to marry Penelope because she is beautiful.

c)

They are hungry and Penelope has a large supply of food.

d)

They want to become King of Ithaca.

36.

How are epithets used in The Odyssey

a)

As synonyms

b)

As definitions

c)

To characterize people

d)

To create comparisons

37.

Which of the following is an example of an epithet?

a)

Divine Calypso

b)

Ornate birds

c)

Sweet days

d)

Greet eye socket

38.

How is an epic hero defined?

a)

A successful adventure in a world of danger and temptation.

b)

a literary figure who represents a society’s beliefs and moral code.

c)

A poem that shows suffering in many challenges from life.

d)

One who faces adventures in pursuit of the values we respect.

39.

Why does Odysseus explain that "in my heart I never gave consent" during the long time he spent with Calypso and Circe?

a)

He is bitter over Calypso's and Circe's power as goddess.

b)

He intends to show that he remained faithful to Penelope.

c)

His explanation above occurs in an apology to Penelope for his past deeds.

d)

He found the goddesses unappealing.

40.

One episode does NOT suggest the theme of resisting temptation. Which one?

a)

the Sirens episode

b)

the Land of the Dead episode

c)

the Cyclops episode

d)

the Lotus Eaters episode

41.

What is the main virtue we see on display at the Cyclops' island?

a)

Resisting temptations

b)

Cunning intelligence over brute strength

c)

Influence of the gods

d)

Loyalty and faithfulness

42.

Which is the best statement comparing the Cicones and the Sun Cattle episodes?

a)

Both exhibit Odysseus failing to resist temptation.

b)

Both require delayed gratification on Odysseus's part.

c)

Neither one shows the virtue of leadership on Odysseus' part.

d)

Neither one is more deadly than Scylla

43.

Why are the Sirens a danger to passing sailors?

a)

The sweet songs of the Sirens lure men to their deaths.

b)

Men fall in love with the Sirens and quarrel among themselves.

c)

The Sirens' beauty makes men forget their desire to go home.

d)

Their island is guarded by a catastrophic whirlpool.

44.

Why is Teiresias considered knowledgeable about the future?

a)

He is already dead and thus sees and knows all.

b)

He comes from Thebes, a place where all are wise.

c)

As a blind man, he is believed to have special insight.

d)

He has been enchanted and given special powers by Circe.

45.

Why did Odysseus' men open the bag holding Odysseus's gift from King Aeolus?

a)

They thought Odysseus was hoarding gold and treasure.

b)

They thought Odysseus would use the golden fleece to usurp power.

c)

They wanted to make the ship go faster.

d)

They wanted to put Odysseus to sleep in order to hijack the ship.

46.

Why does Odysseus not tell his men about the monster Syclla?

a)

He is afraid they will want to fight her?

b)

He forgets to tell them because he is under Circe's spell.

c)

He is afraid his men will abandon their oars.

d)

He wants to see the monster for himself.

47.

How long does Odysseus and his men stay at Circe's house?

a)

five hours

b)

one year

c)

one month

d)

three days

48.

The trait in Odysseus that Athena finds most alluring is his

a)

cunning

b)

charity

c)

strength

d)

leadership

49.

How did the Trojan War begin?

a)

Menelaus' wife, ran of with Paris, a prince of Troy

b)

Agamemnon quarreled with Odysseus.

c)

The Trojans kidnapped Helen and held her hostage.

d)

The Trojans refused the gift of a fine horse from the Greeks.

50.

What is the literary term used to describe a story that begins in the middle of the plot?

a)

epic simile

b)

epithet

c)

epic poetry

d)

in media res