The Odyssey and Other Mythologies

Question 1

What rationale does Odysseus give for killing the suitors living in his house?

Accepted Answer

they are ungreatful, they plan to kill him and his son

Question 2

Who is Polyphemus' father?

Accepted Answer

Poseidon

Question 3

Why must Penelope choose a new husband?

Accepted Answer

she must keep her word

Question 4

Name the archetype: a search for something that when brought back will restore life.

Accepted Answer

The Quest

Question 5

Why must Odysseus talk to the blind prophet, Tiresias, in the Land of the Dead?

Accepted Answer

he needs to know how to get home

Question 6

How does Penelope avoid choosing a new husband for so long?

Accepted Answer

she stalls by asking to make a funeral shroud

Question 7

How did Paris meet Helen of Sparta?

Accepted Answer

when he stole her

Question 8

What mistake does Odysseus make as he is sailing away from the cyclops' island?

Accepted Answer

he reveals his true name

Question 9

How many years was Odysseus gone when he finally got home?

Accepted Answer

20 years

Question 10

What did Circe turn some of Odysseus' men into when they arrived at her island?

Accepted Answer

pigs

Question 11

What happens to the men when they eat the lotus flowers?

Accepted Answer

they lose all desire to go home

Question 12

Why is Achilles invincible?

Accepted Answer

his mother dipped him in the river Styx

Question 13

What does Odysseus expect to happen when they go to the cyclops' house?

Accepted Answer

he will treat them like royalty

Question 14

Who tells Odysseus that he must travel to the Land of the Dead?

Accepted Answer

Circe

Question 15

Who won the Trojan war?

Accepted Answer

Greeks

Question 16

What did the sun god threaten to do if Odysseus' men were not punished?

Accepted Answer

he would no longer let the sun rise

Question 17

How did the Greeks defeat the Trojans?

Accepted Answer

they built a giant horse full of soldiers

Question 18

How does Achilles die?

Accepted Answer

Paris shoots him in the ankle

Question 19

What do Odysseus and his remaining men do to escape the cyclops?

Accepted Answer

blind him and escape under sheep

Question 20

When asked, what does Odysseus tell the cyclops his name is?

Accepted Answer

Nohbody

Question 21

What admirable qualities does Odysseus display by not eating the cattle himself?

Accepted Answer

faith and patience

Question 22

Why does Odysseus feel as though the gods are on his side in seeking revenge?

Accepted Answer

he hears Zeus' thunder

Question 23

Why does Penelope not recognize her husband when he returns home?

Accepted Answer

he is in disguise

Question 24

What happens to Agamemnon when he returns home from war?

Accepted Answer

his wife slits his throat

Question 25

Why are Sirens dangerous?

Accepted Answer

they tempt men to their death

Question 26

Who came up with the idea to build the Trojan horse?

Accepted Answer

Odysseus

Question 27

What does Odysseus do to prevent his men from hearing the sirens' song?

Accepted Answer

he puts wax in their ears

Question 28

Name the archetype: a literal or metaphorical end that also results in a new beginning.

Accepted Answer

Death and Rebirth

Question 29

What does Argus' recognition of Odysseus show the readers?

Accepted Answer

that Odysseus is well loved, that Odysseus still has loyal followers

Question 30

What were stories like The Odyssey meant to show? (Why were they told/shared?)

Accepted Answer

Greek values

Question 31

What item were the goddesses fighting over at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

Accepted Answer

an apple

Question 32

What did Agamemnon do before sailing to Troy?

Accepted Answer

sacrificed his daughter

Question 33

Who appeared to Odysseus when he returned to Ithica?

Accepted Answer

Athena

Question 34

What did Achilles do to Hector's body after he killed him in a duel?

Accepted Answer

dragged it around the city walls

Question 35

Name the archetype: a sensuous person who tries to distract the hero and cause their downfall.

Accepted Answer

Temptress

Question 36

How were stories like The Odyssey passed on and shared?

Accepted Answer

through the oral tradition

Question 37

What does the cyclops, Polyphemus, do to Odysseus' men?

Accepted Answer

eats them

Question 38

Who is credited with writing The Odyssey?

Accepted Answer

Homer

Question 39

Name the archetype: noble sidekicks who protect the hero and share their values.

Accepted Answer

Loyal Retainers

Question 40

Which of the following was a major characteristic of the suitors?

Accepted Answer

arrogance

Question 41

What does Athena offer to give Paris in exchange for being "the fairest?"

Accepted Answer

wisdom and skill

Question 42

What challenge did Penelope set in order to choose a new husband?

Accepted Answer

string a bow and shoot through 12 axe handles

Question 43

Which of the three goddesses does Paris choose to receive the item?

Accepted Answer

Aphrodite

Question 44

What was special about the walls of Troy?

Accepted Answer

they were impenetrable

Question 45

What happened when the soldiers did not listen to Odysseus while raiding a city?

Accepted Answer

many men died

Question 46

What was the one thing the men could not do on the island where the sun god kept his cattle?

Accepted Answer

harm the cattle

Question 47

Why does Odysseus choose to sacrifice men to Scylla?

Accepted Answer

to avoid death for all his men

Question 48

Why do Odysseus' men decide to eat the sun god's cattle?

Accepted Answer

they would rather die full than starve to death

Question 49

Who recognizes Odysseus even when he is disguised by the gods as a beggar?

Accepted Answer

Argus, his dog

Question 50

What are Scylla and Charybdis?

Accepted Answer

a sea monster and whirlpool

Question 51

How did Menelaus convince the other leaders to fight to get his wife Helen back?

Accepted Answer

they had sworn an oath

Question 52

How long did the Trojan war last?

Accepted Answer

10 years

Question 53

What must Odysseus do to prove to his wife that he has really returned?

Accepted Answer

describe their bed

Question 54

Which of the following is an example of the unhealable wound archetype?

Accepted Answer

all of these

Question 55

What punishment does Zeus have for the men who ate the sun god's cattle?

Accepted Answer

he electrocutes them

The Odyssey and Other Mythologies

Questions 55

The Odyssey and Other Mythologies

Questions 55