CLCS 233 Exam 1

Sumerian historical records claim that a) Gilgamesh was a real king of Uruk b) Uruk was conquered and destroyed by neighboring cities c) the father of Gilgamesh ruled Uruk for 24,000 years d) Enkidu was the name of a barbarian enemy of the Sumerians

a) Gilgamesh was a real king of Uruk

The myth of Yahweh and Rahab is evidence that a) Hebrew culture probably contained a Combat Myth b) the Hittites borrowed many of their myths from Babylonian sources c) father-son conflict was a major issue in Canaanite royal families d) sex between gods was thought to guarantee the fertility of the earth

a) Hebrew culture probably contained a Combat Myth

Enki the Trickster is himself tricked by _____ into giving up most of his me. a) Inanna b) Ninmah c) Enlil d) Ninhursag

a) Inanna

In the Mesopotamian story of Atrahasis a) a human king becomes an apkallu b) a mortal stupidly refuses a gift of immortality c) a god invents the technology of irrigation d) the world is destroyed by widespread famine

a) a human king becomes an apkallu (?) c) a god invents the technology of irrigation (?)

Regeneration Myths generally exhibit a close association with a) agricultural calendars b) astronomical patterns c) cosmogonic narratives d) anthropogonies

a) agricultural calendars

During the course of the 5th century BCE, the term mythos a) came to mean its opposite b) ceased to refer to traditional stories c) gradually fell out of use d) retained virtually the same meaning

a) came to mean its opposite

Myths such as that of the creation of the world in Genesis Chapter 1 a) depict matter as inanimate b) claim that dry land emerges from a split in the sky c) were generally recited every year d) were a central part of Mesopotamian culture

a) depict matter as inanimate

In which of the following types of myth is the power of destiny weakest? a) folktale b) logos c) sacred myth d) legend

a) folktale

The first beings to come into the world after the splitting of the primal parents are generally a) geomorphic b) anthropomorphic c) female d) animals

a) geomorphic

A seemingly unique feature of Canaanite myths as preserved is the fact that a) goddesses play prominent roles b) there is conflict between different generations of gods c) the world comes into being out of mist d) monsters have associations with the ocean

a) goddesses play prominent roles

An important difference between Priestly (P) and Yahwist (Y) narratives in Genesis is the fact that a) in Y, Eve is made from Adam's rib b) in Y, light is created before the sun and moon c) in P, creation occurs through acts of shaping d) in P, the natural world is represented as dynamic

a) in Y, Eve is made from Adam's rib

In the basic pattern for cosmogonic narratives, the separation of primal beings is immediately followed by a) proliferation of new beings b) conflict between older and younger generation c) destabilization of the world order d) return to primordial unity

a) proliferation of new beings

Annual public recitation and/or re-enactment of the Enuma Elish a) served to confirm political and social order b) was performed by a special class of Hittite priests c) was believed to guarantee happiness in the afterlife d) culminated in widespread human sacrifices

a) served to confirm political and social order

Which of the following statements is true of folktale? a) the hero generally succeeds by cleverness, not strength b) the world is represented as hostile to human desire c) the story is usually told by a member of the priestly class d) the tale generally ends with the death of the hero

a) the hero generally succeeds by cleverness, not strength

The original meaning of the Greek term mythos is a) true statement b) family secret c) scientific account d) divine story

a) true statement

The myth of the Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi a) was performed annually at the New Year festival b) focuses on the disappearance of the goddess from earth c) was believed to guarantee military victory d) celebrates the recovery of the world from a cataclysmic flood

a) was performed annually at the New Year festival

Which of the following gods can create by acts of naming? a) Marduk and Teshub b) Yahweh and Marduk c) Baal and Yahweh c) Marduk and Baal

b) Yahweh and Marduk

What happens as a result of an error or "limitation" in the regeneration myth? a) primal waters flood the earth again b) a god is forced to die periodically c) a lost god is reunited with his/her mate d) fields remain barren for an entire year

b) a god is forced to die periodically

To say that myths are "homeostatic" means that they a) remain constant over time b) adapt to the expectations of their audience c) are accepted as true accounts d) are generally transmitted in oral form

b) adapt to the expectations of their audience

The Sumerian term me refers to a) the god who presides over a city b) an element of civilization c) the crown of the priest-king d) the home of the gods on earth

b) an element of civilization

Graphic representations of Enki usually include a) a man-headed bull b) cascading water c) an inverted ziggurat d) storm clouds and lightning

b) cascading water

Mesopotamian hero myths generally confirm that a) the hero succeeds by cleverness, not strength b) death is final and inevitable c) human life resembles the life of plants d) only heroes can live forever

b) death is final and inevitable

The Mesopotamian hero Adapa a) helps the gods kill a dragon b) is tricked into refusing immortality c) creates a being that has no social function d) warns someone of an impending disaster

b) is tricked into refusing immortality

Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Mesopotamian ziggurat? a) it is the intersection of the human and divine worlds b) it represents the primal waters of creation at the beginning of the world c) it is the home of the gods d) it is located at the exact middle of the world

b) it represents the primal waters of creation at the beginning of the world

Identify the FALSE statement a) the world of legend is governed by rigid laws b) legends are generally told on high sacred occasions c) moral character is usually irrelevant in legends d) most legends have a standard opening

b) legends are generally told on high sacred occasions

In all evolved-world cosmogonies a) the world is produced by a transcendent deity b) nature is represented as alive and dynamic c) creation proceeds through acts of speech d) the world is swallowed up by a watery abyss

b) nature is represented as alive and dynamic

The hero's battle with a monster a) represents the victory of nature over civilization b) repeats a more ancient, cosmic battle c) usually results in the hero's death d) is an example of a "regeneration myth"

b) repeats a more ancient, cosmic battle

The Hittite god Kumarbi overthrows his father Anush by a) putting him to sleep with a magic spell b) swallowing his father's genitals c) defeating the monster Anush created d) copulating with a large boulder

b) swallowing his father's genitals

A common feature in "regeneration myths" is a) the slaying of a dragon b) the absence or death of a god c) a catastrophic flood d) father-son conflict

b) the absence or death of a god

Which of the following features of a character in myth would most likely suggest that the character is a trickster-figure? a) the character defeats a serpentine monster b) the character has an evil brother c) the character is associated with storms d) the character periodically "dies" and then comes back to life

b) the character has an evil brother

In the tale of Enki and Ninmah, a) Enki tricks Nihmah into giving birth to medicinal plants b) the gods want someone else to do the work c) the world is nearly destroyed by the plague d) Enki creates different languages

b) the gods want someone else to do the work

The setting for sacred myths is generally a) the world as we know it today b) the time of origins c) the recent, historical past d) anytime and any place

b) the time of origins

The opening of the tale of Enki and Ninhursag resembles the opening of the a) Enuma Elish b) P version of Genesis c) Y version of Genesis d) Hittite myth of Kumarbi

c) Y version of Genesis

In the creation account in the second chapter of Genesis, a) the world is at first a watery abyss b) light is created after the sun and moon c) a mist rises up from a dry plain d) Yahweh speaks the world into existence

c) a mist rises up from a dry plain

The Mesopotamian term apkallu refers to the a) sweet waters below the surface of the earth b) act of naming the destinies of things c) ancient beings who civilize humans d) list of things essential to culture

c) ancient beings who civilize humans

In the traditional societies that use myths, those myths a) rarely change over time b) are written by prominent individuals in the community c) are generally transmitted orally d) tend to be told only by priests

c) are generally transmitted orally

The eight plants Enki swallows a) correspond to eight constellations b) represent the eight temples of Dilmun c) are transformed into eight gods d) caused eight incurable sicknesses on earth

c) are transformed into eight gods

In what sense are Dumuzi and Nergal similar? a) Both reject an offer of sex from Inanna b) both attempt to overthrow the gods c) both are forced to live in the underworld d) both are tricked onto choosing death over life

c) both are forced to live in the underworld

On the whole, myths tend to a) have a limited influence on community identity b) serve largely as entertainment c) confirm what the audience thinks is true d) offer new views of the nature and origin of the world

c) confirm what the audience thinks is true

The Genesis and Enuma Elish cosmogonies resemble each other in that a) humans are given control over the natural world b) Yahweh and Marduk both build temples c) creation takes place through acts of naming d) both creator-gods are transcendent

c) creation takes place through acts of naming

Gilgamesh rejects Inanna's offer of sex because a) Inanna is married to the storm god, Enlil b) he wants to remain faithful to Enkidu c) everyone who has sex with Inanna becomes injured d) it is forbidden for mortals and deities to mate

c) everyone who has sex with Inanna becomes injured

The Enemy in the traditional combat myth is generally always associated with a) technology b) lightning c) nature d) fire

c) nature

The term hieros gamos refers to a) the original watery abyss b) the act of naming a thing's destiny c) ritual intercourse between king and queen d) myths in which human beings have no major role

c) ritual intercourse between king and queen

The arrival of Inanna in the Underworld coincides with a) the creation of the kurgarra and galaturra b) the abduction of Dumuzi c) the goddess Ereshkigal in childbirth d) the beginning of the spring planting season

c) the goddess Ereshkigal in childbirth

The corpse of the fallen Tiamat is a) devoured by animals and demons b) dropped into the abyss c) used to create the world d) crushed beneath a mountain

c) used to create the world

In the tale of Nergal and Ereshkigal a) Ereshkigal reanimates the dead b) Ereshkigal joins the other gods at a banquet c) Nergal punishes Ereshkigal's servant d) Nergal descends into the underworld

d) Nergal descends into the underworld

The term "mythic inversion" refers to the a) process by which geomorphs come into existence before anthropomorphs b) belief that every building replicates an original divine construction c) fact that traditional cultures have no idea of progress d) claim that our enemy is our opposite

d) claim that our enemy is our opposite

The presence of two different Mesopotamian anthropogonic myths suggests that a) Mesopotamians believed that human beings were partly divine b) Mesopotamians recognized two different kinds of human beings c) neither story was regarded as fully believable d) class-divisions existed in Mesopotamian society

d) class-divisions existed in Mesopotamian society

Each act of violent sacrifice in the Enuma Elish is immediately followed by an act of a) prayer b) magic c) repentance d) creation

d) creation

After defeating Huwawa/Humbaba, Gilgamesh and Enkidu a) divert the course of the Tigris River b) build a high tower in the forest c) bring its corpse back to Uruk d) cut down trees to make a door

d) cut down trees to make a door

The Mesopotamian term nam-tar refers to the a) rituals involved in confirming royal authority b) sweet, subterranean waters of creation c) identity between the body and the outside world d) determination of essential functions for things

d) determination of essential functions for things

The primary function of the sidekick in heroic narratives is to a) rescue the hero from deadly peril b) challenge the hero to perform great exploits c) share the hero's accomplishments with his community d) give the hero a glimpse of mortality

d) give the hero a glimpse of mortality

The fact that Enki often plays the part of a trickster figure means that a) he represents law and order b) many of his stories are sacred myths c) he transcends the natural world d) he often violates customs and rules

d) he often violates customs and rules

In the Enuma Elish, the primal parents regret the coming-into-being of the world because it a) blocks the flow of the primordial waters b) becomes morally corrupt c) is filled with snakes and demons d) is much too noisy

d) is much too noisy

Myths claim to be monolingual, but this is contradicted by the fact that they are also a) verisimilar b) traditional c) anonymous d) multiform

d) multiform

So-called "foundation" or "charter" myths a) express deep emotional conflicts b) explain the natural world in moral terms c) explain why certain natural events occur d) provide justification for contemporary power structures

d) provide justification for contemporary power structures

The term etemmu refers to a) Inanna's sexual appeal b) the Mesopotamian underworld c) the 12-day New Year festival d) the life-force of an individual

d) the life-force of an individual

Discovery of Magna Mater figures suggests a) worship of a powerful male deity associated with storms b) a strong connection between birth and warfare in Mesopotamia c) an early belief in regeneration after death d) the likely existence of palaeolithic fertility cults

d) the likely existence of palaeolithic fertility cults

The Mesopotamian term aspu refers to a) the beam or pole that supports the world b) the sacred mountain of the gods c) the foundation-stone of a building d) the primordial, watery chaos

d) the primordial, watery chaos

What triggers Gilgamesh's desire to journey to the Cedar Forest? a) Huwawa's attack on Uruk b) a challenge from Enlil c) the death of his friend d) the sight of a corpse

d) the sight of a corpse