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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. Why did Hercules kill his wife and children?

2. What was the fatal flaw of most Greek heroes?

3. ________________ was the hero who rode the famous winged horse Pegasus, whom Athena helped him to catch.

4. _________ was the king of the gods and ruler of Olympus.

5. Why was Venus jealous of Psyche?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Greek heroes. What was the most common flaw? Is this a common flaw in humanity? Why or why not?

2. Choose another love story from this section. How does this story show control or the lack of control?

3. What are two ancient sources that can be used to study Greek mythology? How is each of these sources useful?

4. Why were the Greek gods worshiped? How does this reason compare to the reasons one might worship a god today?

5. What is the lesson that is to be learned in the story of Phaeton? How is this an important lesson?

6. How were Homeric heroes different from earlier Greek heroes? What does this say about the Greeks at the time?

7. Who won the Trojan War? How did they win? What do their successful tactics say about them?

8. Why was Perseus famous? Does this make him a hero? Why or why not?

9. What led to the Trojan War? Was this war necessary? Why or why not?

10. What ended when Atalanta was married? What does this reinforce in Greek culture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tragedy was often a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Describe four myths that one would consider tragic. What led to tragedy in each of these myths? How does the tragedy found in each myth compare to the tragedy found in the others?

Part 2) What is the purpose of this tragedy? What does it reveal about the Greeks? What lessons can still be learned from this tragedy today? Do tragedies such as this exist in contemporary literature? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe that tragic tales are necessary for a culture? Why or why not? Is there a focus on tragedy in American literature? Why or why not? What does this say about Americans and their view of tragedy and loss?

Essay Topic 2

There are several love stories that are a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Summarize two of these love stories. What is the purpose of each of these love stories? What do these stories say about love? How does this reflect the ancient Greek's view of love?

Part 2) How are love stories an important part of other cultures? How is love a universal part of life? How does it differ from one culture to the next? Why is it such an important part of the spectrum of human emotion?

Part 3) To you, what does it mean to love? How important is love to one's quality of life? Explain. How have you witnessed love in your own life? How has this affected you? How might it influence your behavior towards others?

Essay Topic 3

Mythology has been an important part of human cultures around the world.

Part 1) Support this statement with information from this text, as well as information you have learned from other sources. Why is mythology so important to humans? What does it provide mankind?

Part 2) Why have certain mythologies, such as Greek mythology, been so important for other cultures besides their own? How has Greek mythology and Greek culture influenced other areas of the world? How are the cultures of others seen in the way people live in the United States, and even in the way our country operates?

Part 3) Does modern mythology exist? If so, what is it? If not, why not? What information and beliefs from today will be passed on to future generations? How might our beliefs and ideas influence those living in the future? Use the text to support your response.

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