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Ithaka poem

Total questions: 19

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The narrator tells the traveler that what is important is not Ithaka, the island home that was the goal of Odysseus's years of wandering, it was...

a)

the journey itself

b)

the defeat of the Cyclops and the Laistrygonians

c)

his determination to see his wife

d)

The joy of defeating Poseidon

2.

In stanza one, to whom could the poet be addressing?

a)

Odysseus

b)

Poseidon

c)

any reader of the poem

d)

Polyphemus

3.

What are the obstacles Odysseus encountered?

a)

Laistrygonians

b)

Cyclops

c)

Polyphemus

d)

Poseidon

4.

The poet uses the journey to Ithaka as a metaphor for the human journey through life.

a)

True

b)

False

5.

What is the tone of the poem?

a)

encouraging and thoughtful

b)

sarcastic and cynical

c)

proud and self-assured

d)

emotional and melodramatic

6.

The poem, "Ithaka," was inspired by the Homeric return Journey of Odysseus to his home island.

a)

True

b)

False

7.

Think about the text “Ithaka” by C. P. Cavafy to answer questions 6–7.


In the second stanza (lines 14–24), the speaker draws a contrast between which of the following?


Hope your road is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind—

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

a)

vast wealth and severe poverty

b)

extreme joy and touching sadness

c)

busy harbors and trading stations

d)

material things and stores of knowledge

8.

The allusions in Cavafy’s poem to various episodes in Homer’s epic The Odyssey suggest that for Cavafy, Ithaka symbolizes which two of the following?

a)

poverty

b)

home

c)

excitement

d)

wisdom

e)

maturity

9.

The poet suggests that _________ may be disappointing.

a)

defeatingf his rivals

b)

the end goal

c)

the struggle along the way

d)

his life

10.

In Cavafy's poem "Ithaka," what is the extended metaphor?

a)

Friendship is a ship that will carry you till the end

b)

Ithaka/the destination is the wisdom that one gains along the journey of life

c)

Life is a rough sea, full of trouble

d)

Ithaka/the destination is the sum of one's material items

11.

What is most likely the theme of the poem?

a)

Home and the people there are all that matters.

b)

One should be wary of appearances because they can be deceiving.

c)

One should stay focused on his/her/their goals to stay on the straight path.

d)

One should value the xperiences had while working toward life's goals.

12.

Which comparison uses the words like or as?

a)

Metaphor

b)

Simile

13.

_____ irony is when when events in a story directly challenge readers’ or characters’ expectations

a)

Dramatic

b)

Verbal

c)

Situational

d)

Ironic

14.

Which of the following is a metaphor?

a)

Joanne is as sweet as sugar

b)

Henry is a computer engineer

c)

Todd likes to cook on the grill as much as possible

d)

Elizabeth is a wise owl

15.

Latin root: -sim, -sem:

a)

Full of/Saturated

b)

Behind/Around

c)

Seem/Like

d)

Feel/Understand

16.

Which pronouns use first-person point of view?

a)

I, we, me, mine, ours

b)

you, yours

c)

hers, his, its

d)

they, them, theirs

17.

Which pronouns use second-person point of view?

a)

I, we, me, mine, ours

b)

you, yours

c)

hers, his, its

d)

they, them, theirs

18.

Which of the following is written in passive voice?

a)

Martha baked some cookies.

b)

Cookies were baked by Martha.

c)

Smiling, Martha selected the ingredients.

d)

Martha selected the ingredients while smiling.

19.

Change the inverted word order to regular word order: "Good is the book I read."

a)

Reading a book is a good thing.

b)

Books are good.

c)

I like to read good books.

d)

The book I read is good.