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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which sibling was born right after Circe?

2. How does Circe ask her grandmother Tethys to help the mortal fisherman she loves?

3. Who killed Ariadne?

4. Who does Circe disguise herself as on the ship to Crete?

5. Why is Medea cursed when she arrives at Aiaia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pasiphae allude to about her relationship with Perses in Chaoter 11 that shocks Circe?

2. Who is Zeus's father and how did he win his place as king of the gods?

3. Why does Circe think the house on Aiaia is so lovely in Chapter 7?

4. What does Circe teach herself more about little by little in her exile on Aiaia?

5. Why does Circe's mother Perse dislike her almost from the moment of her birth?

6. What advice does Aaetes give Circe the night before she leaves for her exile?

7. Who comes to Circe for help lifting a curse in Chapter 13 and what was the curse for?

8. How do Daedalus and Icarus escape Crete?

9. Who begins to start showing up uninvited on Aiaia in Chapter 14?

10. What are Circe's parents' opinions of mortals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What lessons do Circe, other gods, and mortals learn about the role of prophecies and the fates during the course of the novel? Is there any instance in which a character or characters seem to have been able to change the outcome of a prophecy? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Circe is repulsed by the way most of her family, the gods, live and conduct themselves in their relationships with each other and with mortals. Write an essay exploring Circe's feelings towards her fellow gods and explain why, at the end of the novel, she chooses to try to become a mortal herself.

Essay Topic 3

Circe's sister Pasiphae contrives deliberately to give birth to the monster, the Minotaur, and then insists Circe be the one to attend her at the birth. Why does Pasiphae do both of these things, and what does the Minotaur symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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