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Odyssey Multiple Choice Test Spring 2022

Last updated over 2 years ago
31 questions
Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.
Excerpt 1

“He caught two in his hands like squirming puppies
to beat their brains out, spattering the floor. 280
Then he dismembered them and made his meal,
gaping and crunching like a mountain lion—
everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones.
We cried aloud, lifting our hands to Zeus,
powerless, looking on at this, appalled;
but Cyclops went on filling up his belly
with manflesh and great gulps of whey,
then lay down like a mast among his sheep.
My heart beat high now at the chance of action,
and drawing the sharp sword from my hip I went 290
along his flank to stab him where the midriff
holds the liver. I had touched the spot
when sudden fear stayed me: if I killed him
we perished there as well, for we could never
move his ponderous doorway slab aside.”
3

What is the Cyclops’ name?

3

What does Odysseus’s insistence to stay in the cave before the Cyclops returns reveal about him?

3

What is the purpose of th following simile?

“He caught two in his hands like squirming puppies
to beat their brains out, spattering the floor.
Then he dismembered them and made his meal,
gaping and crunching like a mountain lion

3

Which of the following is revealed in line: "We cried aloud, lifting our hands to Zeus"?

3

What is the purpose of the following simile?

"then lay down like a mast among his sheep."

3

What do the final lines of this excerpt most illustrate about Odysseus?

3

What word best describes the mood of this excerpt?

Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.
Excerpt 2

He bent to drink the somber blood and then he spoke:

“Great Captain, a fair wind and the honey lights of home
are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead;
the god who thunders on the land prepares it,
not to be shaken from your track, implacable,
in rancor for the son whose eye you blinded.
One narrow strait may take you through his blows:
denial of yourself, restraint of your shipmates.
When you make landfall on Thrinakia first
and quit the violet sea, dark on the land
you’ll find the grazing herd of Helios
by whom all things are seen, all speech is known.”
3

What prophet is speaking in the quote above?

3

To whom is the speaker speaking?

3

Who is alluded to in the quote "the god who thunders on the land prepares it"?

3

Which of the following lines best suggests the central external, ongoing conflict of the epic?

3

To which adventure does "One narrow strait may take you through his blows" refer?

3

To which adventure does "denial of yourself, restraint of your shipmates" refer?

3

The reference to the cattle of Lord Helios is example of which literary device?

Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.

Excerpt 3
“Mighty goddess, do not be angry with me over this. I myself know very well Penelope, although intelligent, is not your match                                      270 to look at, not in stature or in beauty. But she's a human being and you're a god. You'll never die or age.  But still I wish, each and every day to get back home,                                       220 to see the day when I return.  And so, even if out there on the wine-dark sea some god breaks me apart, I will go on— the heart here in my chest is quite prepared to bear affliction.  I've already had so many troubles, and I've worked so hard                               280 through waves and warfare.  Let what's yet to come be added in with those."
3

Who is speaking?

3

Who is the audience?

3

When is this part of the story revealed to the readers?

3

What is the speaker’s purpose for speaking?

3

The passage illustrates which of the following ancient Greek beliefs?

Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.

Excerpt 4
Penelope untied the strap
around the carving handle, pushed her hook
into the slit, aimed the bolt inside,
and shot them back. Then came the rasping sound
as those bright doors the key had sprung gave way— 1090
a bellow like a bull’s vaunt in a meadow—
followed by her light footfall entering
over the plank floor. Herb-scented robes
lay there in the chests, but the lady’s milk-white arms
went up to lift the bow down from a peg 1095
in its polished bow case.
Now Penelope
sank down, holding the weapon on her knees,
and drew her husband’s great bow out, and sobbed
and bit her lip and let the salt tears flow.
3

What is the purpose of this scene? (select two answers)

3

What is impact of imagery in phrases such as “herb-scented” and “milk-white?”

3

Which device is contained in Line 1091?

3

Why are no other characters present in this scene?

3

What is most ironic about this scene?

Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

Ithaka
by Constantine Cavafy

"As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon -
don't be afraid of them: 5
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare sensation
touches your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops, wild Poseidon - 10
you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when, 15
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbours you're seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, 20
sensual perfumes of every kind -
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from those who know.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind. 25
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way, 30
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you. 35
Wise as you have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean."
3

Lines 32-35 contain which literary device?

3

What best describes the tone of the poem?

3

The entire poem is an example of an extended version of which literary device?

3

What do “Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon” symbolically represent in the poem?

3

Which of the following is NOT suggested in the poem?

3

What is the theme of this poem?

4

Short Answer Question:

How does the story of one man become the story of all men?

Use the knowledge you gained from the Odyssey, supplemental poems, class discussions, your essay, or any other sources to answer this question in 7-10 effective sentences. Be specific. Avoid summary and focus only on the beyond the lines level of comprehension. Essentially you are being asked to explain how reading the Odyssey is related to you.