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English I
2013-2014
Epic
“The Odyssey: An Introduction”, What is an Epic?, and the “Prologue” to The Adventures of Ulysses
Open-Notes Introduction Quiz
VERSION 1
Directions: Answer each question on your answer document.
1. What is an epic hero known for?
a. Tells the truth
b. Speaks in rhyme
c. Rescues someone from danger
d. Embodies the values of his day
2. Which immortal rules over the other gods?
a. Zeus
b. Poseidon
c. Lord Laertes
d. Helios
3. What are rhapsodes?
a. Priests
b. Merchants
c. Kings and queens
d. Historians, entertainers, and myth-makers
4. How long did the Trojan War last?
a. 5 years
b. 10 years
c. 20 years
d. 15 years
5. What is an epic poem?
a. The most ancient form of literature
b. A poem intended for the oral tradition
c. A long, narrative poem about a hero
d. All of the above
6. What is an invocation?
a. Protection from Poseidon
b. A truly heroic character
c. A safe voyage
d. A request for help and inspiration
7. Odysseus is the king of which Greek island?
a. Troy
b. Phaeacia
c. Ithaca
d. Athens
8. Why is Odysseus a unique epic hero?
a. He was a good family man
b. He used brain and brawn
c. He defeated the Cyclopes
d. None of the above
9. Which epic serves as an archetype for the story of a long journey?
a. Song of Roland
b. Odyssey
c. Iliad
d. Aeneid
10. What do we call the stories that use fantasy to express difficult life ideas?
a. Rhapsodes
b. Oral tradition
c. Myths
d. Epic simile
11. What is the oral tradition of storytelling?
a. It was thought to have originated in Ancient Greece
b. It is still used today
c. It arose before people could read or write
d. All of the above
12. When were Homer’s epic poems most likely composed?
a. 1200 BC
b. Between 900 and 700 BC
c. 1200 AD
d. None of the above
13. What real-life event did Homer base his epic poems on?
a. The landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock
b. The Civil War
c. Battles over the Holy Land
d. Battles over control of the waterway connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the
Black Sea
14. Which was Homer’s first epic poem?
a. Song of Roland
b. Odyssey
c. Iliad
d. Aeneid
15. What is the main event of The Iliad?
a. The Trojan War
b. The birth of Helen
c. The battle of Telemachus versus the suitors
d. Odysseus’ long journey home
16. What is Homer’s second epic poem, The Odyssey, about?
a. The Trojan War
b. The birth of Helen
c. The battle of Telemachus versus the suitors
d. Odysseus’ long journey home
17. What is an archetype?
a. Historians, entertainers, and myth-makers
b. An element of the human experience common across literature and cultures
c. A request for help and inspiration
d. A nonfiction account of a person’s life
18. What is the tone of the Odyssey?
a. Postwar disillusionment
b. Melancholy
c. A hero in trouble
d. All of the above
19. Who is the creator, Homer?
a. The face that launched a thousand ships
b. Odysseus’ father, Laertes
c. Blind minstrel from Chios
d. None of the above
20. The Iliad is an example of the archetype of which model?
a. War
b. Post-war disillusionment
c. Long Journey
d. Epic Hero
21. How did the Trojan War begin?
a. With a hollow wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers
b. When Eris began a competition for a golden apple for “the fairest” amongst the goddesses
c. The Trojans and Achaeans
d. Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
22. How did the Trojan War end?
a. With a hollow wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers
b. When Eris began a competition for a golden apple for “the fairest” amongst the goddesses
c. The Trojans and Achaeans
d. Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
23. Which groups fought the Trojan War?
a. With a hollow wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers
b. When Eris began a competition for a golden apple for “the fairest” amongst the goddesses
c. The Trojans and Achaeans
d. Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
24. Who, specifically, was the war fought for?
a. With a hollow wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers
b. When Eris began a competition for a golden apple for “the fairest” amongst the goddesses
c. The Trojans and Achaeans
d. Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
25. Which figurative language poetry element is found frequently in epic poems?
a. Repetition
b. Personification
c. Hyperbole
d. All of the above
26. How is an epic poem similar to a myth?
a. The human and religious and historical elements are combined
b. Has supernatural and fantasy forces
c. Explains elements of history and culture
d. All of the above
27. What is the purpose of an epic poem?
a. Reinforces universal moral code
b. Preserves cultural heritage and virtues
c. Entertains
d. All of the above
28. What is another term for a rhapsode?
a. Musician
b. Epithet
c. Catalog
d. Bard
29. How were epic poems told?
a. With multiple speakers throughout
b. In partial detail and in partial summary
c. In a frame story using both present day and flashbacks, equally
d. All of the above
30. How/Why was Odysseus held responsible (by Poseidon) for the downfall of Troy?
a. The wooden horse trick was his idea
b. He was arrogant
c. He failed to get his weapons approved by the gods’ committee
d. All of the above
31. Which God has a vendetta against Odysseus?
a. Zeus
b. Telemachus
c. Poseidon
d. Athena
32. What is Odysseus’ name, also frequently used, in the Roman version of these stories?
a. Ulysses
b. Jupiter
c. Athena
d. Aphrodite
33. Which goddess acts as a mentor to Odysseus?
a. Ulysses
b. Jupiter
c. Helen
d. Athena
34. Who is Athena?
a. Queen of the gods
b. Goddess of wisdom
c. Goddess of war
d. Goddess of love
35. What is the epic poetry technique called where rhapsodes use the frequent repetition of a formulaic
phrase as a memory aide?
a. Epithet
b. Epic Simile
c. Epic hero
d. Alliteration
36. What is the purpose of a catalog or genealogy?
a. To request help and inspiration
b. To provide relevance and authority
c. To explain historical events to the audience
d. All of the above
37. What is an epic simile?
a. The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words
b. Language that uses figures of speech expressions that are not literally true but instead provides
an inferred truth using flowery and pretty language to enhance the writing
c. A long, elaborate comparison of two things without using “like” or “as,” which continues for the
entire piece or a significant section of the piece
d. A long, elaborate comparison of two things using “like” or “as,” which continues for the entire
piece or a significant section of the piece
38. What does it mean for the epic poem to begin “in medias res”?
a. The story begins after several important things have already happened
b. Poetry that is usually short and musical and expresses the speaker’s personal thoughts, feelings
c. Extreme exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
d. A request by the poet to a higher power (usually a muse) to guide his pen and creativity while
singing the story
39. Why were 1,000 Greek kings summoned to defend King Menelaus after Helen ran off with Paris?
a. Odysseus ordered the other kings to sail to Troy
b. Odysseus created that oath for Helen’s many suitors to swear by
c. Menelaus was the most respected of the Greek kings
d. Loyalty was the most prized virtue in Greek culture
40. After the Trojan War ended, how long did it take Odysseus to return home?
a. 5 years
b. 10 years
c. 20 years
d. 15 years