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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. Arachne claimed she could __________ better than the goddess Minerva.

2. Odysseus' adventures were told in the _________ poem The Odyssey.

3. The society Aeneas founded would one day flourish into ___________.

4. Procne became a ______________ that sang mournfully for her dead son whom she now regretted killing.

5. Midas asked for whatever he touched to turn to what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Odysseus' adventures make him a hero?

2. How did the bad luck of the later generations reflect the bad luck of the earlier generations? What does this say about the tie between one generation and another?

3. How did the bad luck of the House of Atreus begin? Why did it continue?

4. What are two important lessons taught in the Odyssey?

5. How does the story of Procne, Philomela, and Tereus explain the origins of species?

6. How are the lessons learned from these stories relevant today?

7. What are the purposes of myths, based on these stories?

8. What is the moral message of this family's stories?

9. How is Midas rewarded by Bacchus? Is this what many people would choose? Why or why not?

10. What story explains the creation of spiders? How does this explain the creation of spiders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several pre-Trojan War heroes that are of great significance.

Part 1) Who are these heroes? Describe each of these heroes and summarize his stories. How did each of them become a hero? What commonalities existed between these heroes?

Part 2) What do these heroes reveal about pre-Trojan War Greece? Based on these stories, what can be learned about how these Greeks felt about heroes, the gods, and their own lives? Do these myths seem realistic? Do you think that the Greeks believed these adventures had actually occurred? Why or why not?

Part 3) Describe the Trojan War heroes. How were they different from the pre-Trojan War heroes? Why? What were heroes like in early America? What made someone a hero at that point in our history? Are the qualities the same today as then? Why or why not? Might the definition of a hero change over time? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The Greek gods were based on the perfect man.

Part 1) What did the Greeks consider a perfect man? Why might they have thought this? How did the gods reflect this attitude regarding man? How did this, in turn affect man?

Part 2) Choose two Greek gods or goddesses. What human qualities do they have? How do these gods or goddesses affect humans? How might one relate to these gods or goddesses?

Part 3) What are two world religions of today? Describe their god or gods. How do these gods compare to the Greek gods? What might this reveal about the people who worship this god or these gods today?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,255 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample