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Ultimate Oedipus

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 21mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What city is Oedipus the king of?

a)

Athens

b)

Greece

c)

Xanadu

d)

Thebes

2.

Why are the people of Thebes in despair at the beginning of the play?

a)

A seer has predicted a flood

b)

A king has been murdered

c)

The Sphinx is holding the city captive

d)

A plague is killing people and livestock

3.

Who is the author of Oedipus Rex?

a)

Euripides

b)

Aristotle

c)

Sophocles

d)

Pythagorus

4.

Who is the chorus supposed to represent?

a)

The people of Thebes

b)

The gods

c)

The royalty of Thebes

d)

Creon's followers

5.

Which sentence best summarizes what the Oracle at Delphi tells Creon?

a)

All the murderers must be brought to justice

b)

The murderer of Laius must be brought to justice

c)

Oedipus must sacrifice his eldest son

d)

Oedipus must move out of the city

6.

Who is Teiresias?

a)

Oedipus' true father

b)

The leader of the chorus

c)

An elderly priest

d)

A blind prophet

7.

What mythical creature did Oedipus defeat that won him favor with the city of Thebes?

a)

The minotaur

b)

The sphinx

c)

The centaur

d)

The dionysus

8.

What is Creon's argument for why he would not overthrow Oedipus and plot against him?

a)

He secretly loves him and wants to run away together

b)

He does not want to have the responsibility that Oedipus has and is happy with the amount of influence he has already

c)

He is the only one who killed the sphinx and can defeat her so why would he want to banish Oedipus for that

d)

They share a wife so it would not make sense in the child custody ruling

9.

Oedipus has married who?

a)

Creon's wife

b)

The Priest

c)

Laius's wife

d)

No one

10.

The fact that Oedipus was running away from Corinth in order not to carry out the prophecy of killing his father (Polybus) and ran into Laius on the road and killed him is what literary element?

a)

Symbol

b)

Plot

c)

Hyperbole

d)

Irony

11.

Who is Jocasta?

a)

Oedipus's wife, Creon's sister

b)

Creon's wife, Oedipus's sister

c)

Creon's daughter, Oedipus's friend

d)

Oedipus's mother, Creon's wife

12.

Who eventually convinces Oedipus to let Creon go unharmed?

a)

Jocasta

b)

Creon

c)

Chorus

d)

Tiresias

13.

Jocasta doesn't believe in prophets because...

a)

Laius was supposed to be killed by his own son and he was killed by a group of thieves

b)

Her son was killed as a teenager by a dragon

c)

She killed Laius and no one ever noticed the blood running down her arms.

d)

Her uncle was a prophet and told her they are all fake.

14.

Why is Oedipus suddenly nervous when Jocasta tells him about how Laius died?

a)

He killed a man at that same crossroad

b)

Creon was seen leaving the city the day Lauis was killed

c)

Oedipus believes that even Jocasta is now plotting against him

d)

Tiresias prophesied that Oedipus would be blind

15.

What news is Oedipus given at the end of this section that Jocasta considers "good" news?

a)

Oedipus has been named supreme ruler of all of Greece

b)

Oedipus's father Polybus has died

c)

Tiresias was found to be a liar and manipulative of the people

d)

Both of them will be able to travel to Corinth to take over

16.
Why does Oedipus leave his childhood hometown?
a)
He is afraid of fulfilling the prophecy.
b)
He must answer the call to kill the sphinx.
c)
He is forced to leave by the angry citizens.
d)
He wants to rule a new city/state.
17.
Who does Oedipus originally believe his parents are?
a)
Creon and Jocasta
b)
Laius and Jocaasta
c)
Tiresias and Merope
d)
Polybus and Merope
18.
What is Oedipus afraid will happen if he returns to Corinth?
a)
Creon will attack him.
b)
Jocasta will leave him.
c)
The prophesy will come true and he will marry his mother.
d)
Merope will disown him.
19.

Oedipus receives his name because of...

a)

the Oracle

b)

his prophecy

c)

his swollen feet

d)

his hair color

20.

What is the second piece of news the Corinthian Messenger shares with Oedipus and Jocasta?

a)

That Oedipus is adopted

b)

That Oedipus and Jocasta are siblings

c)

That all of the shepherds were fired

d)

That Merope is also dead

21.

These are the three Greek appeals.

a)

Ethical, Emotional, Logical

b)

Writing, Speaking, Showing

c)

Hubris, Hamartia, Hera

d)

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

22.

This method of persuasion requires a credible authority to convince the audience.

a)

Ethos

b)

Pathos

c)

Logos

23.

Examples of this method of persuasion include statistics, research, data, and facts.

a)

Ethos

b)

Logos

c)

Pathos

24.

Method of persuasion that appeals to emotions and feelings.

a)

Ethos

b)

Pathos

c)

Logos

25.

Which of the following is NOT a Greek Value?

a)

Suffering is a part of life

b)

Hubris

c)

Guilt

d)

Trust in the Gods for help

26.

Hubris means...

a)

Getting what you deserve in the end

b)

Having a flaw

c)

Excessive pride that may lead to a character’s downfall

d)

Being too good at everything

27.

If power is transitory that means...

a)

Power will always stay with the best person

b)

Power is only temporary and changes hands frequently

c)

Power is meaningless

d)

Power will always come back to hurt someone

28.

Fatalism means...

a)

Fate is not in control, but you are

b)

Fate is only known by the gods

c)

Fate is always negative and evil

d)

Fate controls all therefore every event is inevitable

29.

How does Oedipus end the play?

a)

No different than how he started

b)

Dead

c)

Blind and banished

d)

Unsure of himself but still king

30.

What is Jocasta's final act?

a)

Running away

b)

Blinding herself

c)

Killing herself

d)

Banishing Creon

31.

How does the audience learn of Jocasta's death?

a)

They see it

b)

A messenger shares the news

c)

Oedipus tells them

d)

Through a song by the chorus

32.

Who ends the play as king of Thebes?

a)

Antigone

b)

Oedipus

c)

Creon

d)

Tiresias

33.

Where does Oedipus wish to be banished and left to die?

a)

The mountain where his parents abandoned him

b)

At the Oracle of Delphi

c)

Mount Vesuvius with his daughters

d)

He does not say, just tells Creon to send him away

34.

The chorus' final line states: "Therefore we must call no man happy while he waits to see his last day, not until he has passed the border of life and death without suffering pain."

Which Greek Value is best represented in this line?

a)

Fatalism

b)

Suffering is a part of life

c)

Hubris

d)

Trust in the gods for help

35.

Which literary devices are most present in the plot of the play Oedipus the King?

a)

Humor and puns

b)

Irony and foreshadowing

c)

Setting and metaphor

d)

Onomatopoeia and simile