ODYSSEY

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. According to legend, in what sense was Homer deficient?

2. What immortal rules over the other god?

3. What does the author invoke the aid of?

4. Why didn’t Odysseus killed the Cyclops when he fell asleep?

5. What did Circe do to Odysseus’ men

6. What is an Odyssey in the context of today?

7. What is Odysseus’ son called?

8. Odysseus and his men meet a Cyclops while trying to find their way home. What was his name?

9. The Cyclops places a huge stone in the entrance of his cave to stop the men from getting out. How does Odysseus escape?

10. Odysseus encounters some beautiful singing women who tempt sailors onto the rocks. What are they called?

11. They also encounter two other deadly monsters, a six-headed monster and a personified whirlpool. What are they called?

12. The rocky island that is home of Odysseus.

13. This man became very drunk and met a very tragic end when he fell off Circe’s roof.

14. Which plant makes the sailors forget their desire to return home?

15. Menelaus is king of which city?

16. How is Odysseus able to listen safely to the Siren’s song?

17. What does Tiresias warn Odysseus not to harm on his voyage?

18. Who transforms Odysseus’ sailors into pigs?

19. Odysseus left Penelope bound for what city?

20. Why does Poseidon despise Odysseus?

21. Who is the keeper of the winds?

22. Who is the father of Odysseus?

23. Who does Odysseus wants to speak when he enters the Underworld?

24. The Laestrygonians

a. eat Lotus or take drugsb. are giants who are cannibals

c. are Cyclopsd. invite Odysseus to the palace when he tells his story

25. Helen is the wife of which king?

26. Which woman is the last one to keep Odysseus against his will on her island?

27. Hermes can fly because

a. he has magic sandalsc. he has a flying dragon

c. he has Pegasusd. he is a nymph

28. Which god is obstructing Odysseus most to get home?

29. How did Homer originally convey his poem to others?

30. What is an extended narrative poem?

31. Who is Polyphemus’ father?

32. What gift did Odysseus get from Aeolus?

33. Who gave Odysseus the wine that he used to drug Polyphemus?

34. Who was Odysseus surprised to see in Hades?

35. Who told Odysseus to go to Hades?

36. Who told Helios that his cattle had been eaten?

37. Who convinced Odysseus’ men to eat the cattle of sun god?

  1. How many days was Odysseus afloat on the raft?
  2. List the five predictions Tiresias foretold for Odysseus.
  3. List the five elements of an epic.

41. In Part 2 of the Odyssey, who is Eumaeus?

42. What does Odysseus order Telemachus to do when Odysseus gives him a signal?

43. The brief episode involving Argus, Odysseus' dog, closes with which of the following?

a. / Eumaeus removes Argus from the hall.
b. / Odysseus fails to recognize Argus.
c. / After Argus recognizes Odysseus, the dog dies.
d. / The suitors object to Argus' presence in the hall.

44. Which of the following is involved in Penelope's deception of the suitors?

a. / a great bow b. death shroud
c. / a precious ring d. lengthy dispute over land

45. Which of the following is an example of a simile?

a. / In one motion, Odysseus strung the bow.
b. / Odysseus stood watching the unruly suitors like a captain surveying a rough sea.
c. / The suitors, both strong and weak, tried and failed to string the bow.
d. / The setting of Odysseus' final challenge is his native island of Ithaca.

46. Which of Odysseus' traits allows him to triumph in the bow-and-arrow challenge that Penelope sets for her suitors?

a. / his love for Penelope b. his loyalty to the gods
c. / his pride in his bow d. his skill as a marksman

47. Why does Penelope test Odysseus toward the end of Part 2?

48. What is an epic simile? Give an example.

49. In Part 2 of the Odyssey, the hero appears disguised as what?

50. Which of Telemachus' actions best demonstrates his obedience to his father?

51. What is the result of Odysseus' initial exchange with the suitor Antinous?

52. Why does the disguised Odysseus make up a story and tell Penelope that her husband will be home soon?

53. Toward the end of Part 2, how does Penelope test Odysseus?

54. Who brings Odysseus to Ithaca?

55. Which of the following helps Odysseus in battle against the suitors?

56. How many axe handles did the beggar shoot the arrow through?

57. Who treated the beggar badly?

58. Which suitor did a spear to the back kill?

59. Which suitor tried to convince Odysseus not to kill them

60. Which is the best rephrasing of the following lines?

When the young Dawn with fingertips of rose

lit up the world, the Cyclops built a fire….

a. / When young Dawn's fingertips turned rosy and lit up the world, the Cyclops built a fire.
b / At daybreak, the Cyclops built a fire.
c. / The Cyclops built a fire whenever he saw a pinkish or rosy-colored sky.
d / The sun rises. The Cyclops builds a fire.