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WorksheetsOedipus the King
Total questions: 45
Worksheet time: 32mins
Why did the King and Queen of Thebes leave Oedipus on the mountainside?
They didn't want a child
They received a message from an oracle that Oedipus was to kill his father
Oedipus was a troubled child and they knew that he would not be a good king
The city was in distress and they wanted to keep him from the miserable conditions
What does Oedipus mean?
Little Prince
Swollen Foot
Mighty One
Hidden King
Thebes
Delphi
Corinth
Olympus
Oedipus left the home of his youth, in an effort to avoid
fulfilling a terrible prediction or prophecy
having his ankles pinned together
participating in the great war
finding out the true identity of his parents
How did Oedipus save Thebes?
By answering a riddle
By sacrificing a goat
By building a new temple
By killing a criminal
Who told Oedipus he was "blind to the truth"?
Oedipus's father
A member of the Chorus
A blind prophet
A member of the court
According to Teiresias the sole survivor of the group of men murdered, who killed King Laius?
Jocasta
Himself
Creon
Oedipus
What happens to Oedipus at the end of the play?
He hangs himself.
He blinds himself and Creon kills him.
He tells Creon to take over and moves back to Corinth.
He blinds himself and begs to be banished
What happens to Jocasta, Oedipus's birth mother, at the end of the play?
(a)
Who is Oedipus' father?
Apollo
Laios
Creon
Eteocles
Who is Oedipus' mother?
Jocasta
Antigone
Ismene
Hera
Who is Jocasta's brother?
Oedipus
Eteocles
Ployneices
Creon
Who are Oedipus's adoptive parents?
Laios and Jocasta
Polybus & Merope
Apollo & Artemis
Zeus & Hera
A blind prophet
Oedipus
Apollo
Teiresias
Rachel Dare
Oedipus' wife
Jocasta
Antigone
Ismene
Athena
Years before the play started, what thing was terrorizing Thebes and all those travelling to Thebes?
a minotaur
a Sphynx
a cyclopes
a satyr
What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?
Man
Dog
Cat
any of the gods
What is wrong in Thebes as a the play starts?
The Sphynx
A plague
Civil War
The death of the queen
What is the central conflict of the play?
Man vs. the gods
Creon vs. Oedipus
Oedipus vs. his conscience
Thebes vs. Argos
According to the oracle, where is Laios' killer?
Corinth
Athens
Thebes
Sparta
How does Oedipus react to Teiresias' news?
glad to have a clue
anger and disbelief
extreme fear
no reaction
Who does Oedipus think coerced Teiresias into lying?
Creon
Jocasta
Eteocles
Polyneices
Where was Laios killed?
a place where three roads met
in the castle
at Delphi
in Corinth
When does Oedipus start to doubt his innocence?
When Teiresias tells him he's the murderer
When Creon tricks him into admitting to the murder
When Jocasta tells of how Laios was killed
When Creon comes back from Delphi
What did the shepherd do to Laios and Jocasta's child?
pierced his ankles then left him to die
pierced his ankles then decided to send him far away with another shepherd
raised him as his own son
What did Jocasta do when she learned the truth?
She stabbed herself.
She jumped out of the palace window.
She hung herself.
She stabbed her eyes.
What did Oedipus do when he learned the truth?
He hung himself.
He blinded himself.
He jumped out of the palace window.
He stabbed himself.
What is Oedipus' punishment?
death
exile
prison
The author of Oedipus the King is (a) .
Dramatic Irony is the actions understood by the audience but not by the character in the play.
True
False
Tragedies are serious plays about religious or mythic questions.
True
False
The Sphinx was (a) .
Oedipus means (a) .
Which of these was meant to represent society in Greek drama?
The audience
The three actors
The playwright
The Chorus
A central theme of Oedipus the King concerns how difficult it is for humans to . . .
see the good in other people
face the truth about themselves
accept death as a part of life
ignore the lure of personal gain
Why was Oedipus offered the kingship in Thebes?
because he was successful in saving the city from the Sphinx
because he killed King Laius
because Tiresias dictated Jocasta to make Oedipus the new king
because he killed Creon
The ______________ is a group of performers who acted as one character.
actors
heroes
chorus
choir
The ________________ is the beginning of the play, before the action begins. It't the background information.
parodos
prologue
exodos
paean
The _____________ is a song chanted by the chorus, often a commentary on the action from the scene. It represents the curtains coming down.
parodos
paean
ode
exodos
______________ is a hymn sung by the chorus, appealing to the gods for assistance.
Paean
Parodos
exodos
ode
Why does the messenger bring news of his father's death to Oedipus?
Oedipus is heir to the throne in Corinth.
He must go back for the funeral.
He must choose between being King of Thebes or Corinth.
