The Odyssey Books 1-12 Test Review
Book 5: How does Odysseus use flattery in this section of the epic? Is it effective? How? (159)
"All that you say is true, how well I know. / Look at my wise Penelope. She falls far short of you, / your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all / and you, you never age or die" (238-241)
Book 5: Find the simile on pg. 165. What two things are being compared?
"Like pebbles stuck in the suckers of some octopus / dragged from its lair—so strips of skin torn / from his clawing hands stuck to the rock face"
Athena, disguised as ________Mentes________, brings what news to Telemachus? (pg 83)
"Yet I tell you great Odysseus is not dead. He's still alive / somewhere in the wide world , held captive, out at sea, on a wave wacked island , and hard men, savages, somehow hold him back against his will" He's planning a way home.
Book 5: What does Zeus order Hermes to do? (153)
"You are our messenger Hermes, sent on all our missions. / Announce to the nymph with lovely braids our fixed decree: / Odysseus journeys home - the exile must return" (33-35)
Book 5: The text describes Helen as "the very cause of the Trojan War itself." Explain what is meant by this statement.
(Background notes) She runs off with Paris, and Menelaus starts the Trojan war to get her back.
Book 12: How long do they end up staying on Helios' island? (281)
1 month the south wind blew nonstop
Book 10: How long do Odysseus and his crew remain at Circe's palace?
1 year, makes circe a temptress
Book 10: How many ships are left after the encounter with them?
1- Odysseus' Ship (line 144)
Book 10: What must he do there?
1.) Dig a trench 2.) Pour libations to the dead; milk and honey, then wine, then water 3.) Promise to sacrifice his best cow in your halls when he returns home and load a fire with treasure. 4.) For Tiresias only, sacrifice a black ram 5.) Say a prayer to Hades and Persephone 6.) Do not allow any other ghosts come to the blood, only Tiresias (lines 568-595)
Book 12: Describe Scylla. (274)
12 legs 6 heads, sister of charybdis, stays back hidden in the rocks
Book 6: How many days was Odysseus at sea? (173)
20 days
Book 5: How long is Odysseus forced to swim? (164)
3 Days - symbolic number?
Book 12: How many men did Scylla kill? (278)
6 of his best men
Book 5: How long has Odysseus remained on Calypso's island? Why do you think he has remained with her so long?
7 years - she's kept him there, but also he's been tempted
Book 2: What is Penelope compared to?
A spider
Book 6: What conflict is Nausicaa dealing with in the "Rest of Book 6"?
Appearce vs Reality Societal Expectations - she can't walk around with a man she's not engaged to
Book 6: What epic simile is on page 172? What is being compared?
As a mountain lion exultant in his power... so Odysseus moved out (143-148)
Book 5: Describe Calypso's island. Why would an author use so much time to describe a setting? How does the description of the setting parallel Calypso's character?
Beautiful, tempting, but will keep you from your goals
Book 12: Where did they go after returning from the Underworld? (271)
Circe's island gives them wine and food to stock their ship bury elpenor
Book 6: How does Athena manipulate Nausicaa to go meet Odysseus? (169)
Comes to her in a dream "face and form like the shipman Dymas' daughter" (25)
Book 5: What is taking place at the beginning of the chapter? (152)
Council of the gods - discussing whether to let Odysseus off the island
Book 5: What is our first view of Odysseus? (157)
Crying on the beach "Hermes could not find him within the cave. / Off he sat on a headland, weeping there as always, / wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, / gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears" (lines 93-96)
Book 2: What archetype do you think Penelope will be/is? Why?
Damsel in Distress
Book 1: Who is the "Muse" in this tale? (line 1).
Daughter of Zeus. greek goddess
Book 2: What is personified in line 1? (93)
Dawn with her rose red fingers
Book 6: What happens to Odysseus' appearance as/after he bathes? (175) What archetypal situation is this?
Disguise Divine Intervention Athena makes him handsome again
Book 1: Every god takes pity on Odysseus except ____________________, the god of the __________(lines 22-24).
Every god takes pity on Odysseus except _________poseiden___________, the god of the ____sea______(lines 22-24).
Book 5: What does Ino give Odysseus to save himself? (162) What ultimately happens to it? (166)
Gives him a scarf - supernatural intervention, special weapon? (381) He has to throw it back into the water when he reaches land. (385)
Book 10: How does Odysseus inspire his men after their ordeal?
He attempts to inspire them with a speech. It isn't a very good one. gives a speech, not a good, his men start crying, irony because he doesn't inspire (Lines 207-221).
Book 1: Describe Telemachus' reaction to the news. (pg 84-85)
He doesn't believe it. He is not sure that Odysseus is his real father.
Book 12: Why doesn't Odysseus inform his men about the awaiting dangers? Is his decision fair? (278)
He doesn't want them to be scared, worried that they will drop their oars and run below deck. This is fair because as a leader, he knows that if he tells them, they will stop sailing and no one will make it home. He has to do this to keep them going
Book 1: What is Athena's (Mente's) advice to Telemachus? (pg 86)
He needs to get a ship and go to Pylos and then Sparta
Book 1: Describe Telemachus' behavior toward his mother. (pg 89)
He yells at her and trying to be the man of the house
Book 6: Why doesn't Odysseus fall and grab Nausicaa's knees and beg for mercy? (173)
He'd scare her if a naked man ran up to her asking for help
Book 5: What is the tone of this part of the chapter (165)?
Helpless, hopeless, dark
Book 1: Hermes will be dispatched to ___________, Athena will go to _______________? (pg 80)
Hermes will be dispatched to ____ogygia (calypso's island)_______, Athena will go to _______ithica________? (pg 80)
Book 5: What causes Odysseus to lose the raft? (162-163)
Hubris / pride - Ino tells him how to survive, but he thinks he knows better "No, here's what I'll do, it's what seems best to me." (397)
Book 2: Summarize Telemachus' message to the assembly. (94-95)
I've gathered you all here Dad was good king (like father to his people) But now the suitors are ravaging my house They don't even try to get my mom the right way (by asking her father) They eat all our food, drink our wine, fight, etc Suitors should be ashamed of themselves By Zeus, you should stop! This only makes sense if you think Odysseus actually harmed you guys on purpose Anger/tears
Book 1: What should Telemachus do if he hears that his father is alive? Dead? (pg 86-87)
If he finds out that he is alive, he is going to spend one year looking for him. If he finds out he is dead, he is going to make his mom marry one suitor and kill the rest
Book 12: What does Odysseus say to his men when they reach the violent waters of Charybdis?
If they work together and trust him they can survive. Our hero is changing and is getting better at understanding his humanity to his men.
Book 9: "young Dawn with fingertips of rose." This expression is an example of an?
It is an example of an epithet.
Book 6: Who is the king of the Phaeacians? (168)
King Alcinous
Book 5: Write three epithets in this chapter (include line numbers).
Long-enduring great Odysseus Bright-eyed goddess Pallas Great Odysseus Lustrous Calypso
Book 1: Find text that shows Athena's devotion to Odysseus. (pg 79)
My heart breaks for odysseus, that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long,
Book 5: Is Calypso happy that Odysseus is leaving her? What strategies does she use to keep him with her? Is she successful in her attempts? (158-159)
No, she's upset that he's leaving She argues that she's more beautiful than Penelope - "I just might claim to be nothing less than she, / neither in face nor figure. Hardly right, is it, for mortal woman to rival immortal goddess? / How in build? In beauty?" She is not successful, he still wants to go home
Book 1: Odysseus has met many _________ and learned their _____________; he has also _________________many pains (lines 4-5).
Odysseus has met many ____men_____ and learned their _______minds______; he has also ______suffered___________many pains (lines 4-5).
Book 9: What trick does Odysseus use so that Polyphemus and what is the result?
Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is Nobody so the Cyclops yells that nobody is hurting him.
Book 1: What has happened to prevent Odysseus from returning home to Ithaca? (lines 16-18).
On calypso's island, she is holding him back from his journey.
Book 5: What part do Poseidon and Athena play in the epic up to this point? Which god do you find appealing? Why?
Poseidon sends a massive wave to crash his boat - 410-420 Athena is helping Telemachus more, but showers sleep on Odysseus in the end of Book 5 - 540-550
Book 2: Why does Antinous say that Penelope is to blame for the suitors not leaving? (96)
She deceived them. she says she will marry when she is finished with her loom, but she keeps undoing it at night.
Book 5: How does Calypso view Odysseus? (158)
She seems to genuinely like him "the lustrous goddess smiled, / stroked him with her hand, savored his name and chided," (lines 200-201) "I will never plot some new intrigue to harm you" (line 207)
Book 5: What is Calypso doing when we first see her? (154-155)
Singing and Weaving "Deep inside she sang, the goddess Calypso, lifting / her breathtaking voice as she glided back and forth / before her loom, her golden shuttle weaving" (68-70)
Book 1: Find text evidence that supports the honoring of the hospitality code. (pg 81-82)
Telemachus is bothered by the fact that he doesn't know how long Athena was waiting by the gate.
Book 9: What could the test of the lotus eaters acitype be?
Temptress Because Distractions prevent us from achieving our ultimate goals.
Book 9: Who is Polyphemus?
The Cyclops
Book 2: What archetype do you think Telemachus will be/is? Why?
The initiate
Book 9: Describe what Odysseus and his men did to the Cicones?
They Raided the town and killed many people.
Book 10: What happens to the crew at the hands of the Laestrygonians?
They eat them because they are cannibals. Also, they throw boulders at them and spear them like fish. (lines 127-140)
Book 9: What effect does eating the lotus flower have on Odysseus' men?
They forget their homeland and want to stay on the island forever
Book 9: What do Odysseus and his men do to the Cyclops when they see it and does it mean something more?
They get Polyphemus drunk and stab out his eye and it does not mean anything more.
Book 6: Why had the Phaeacians moved from their original home to the land of Scheria? (168)
They lived too close to the cyclopes
Book 9: "He clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies" and "Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion" what is this an example of and how does it relate to the story?
This is an epic simile and it progresses the flashback with a comparison.
Book 11: What is Elpenor's request in the underworld?
To bury him and if he doesn't elpenor will curse him and the gods will come after him burning place the ore at his tomb
Book 10: What becomes of Aeolus' gift?
When Ithaca is in sight, the men believe that the bag contains gold and silver that Odysseus is keeping from them. Because of their distrust of Odysseus and their own greed, they open the bag of winds and are blown back to Aeolus's Island. (lines 33-61)
Book 10: Circe gives Odysseus' men drugged ____________ and turns them into ______________.
Wine, pigs
Book 1: Does Zeus have the power to free Odysseus from Calypso? Explain.
Yes, but he doesn't want to upset his brother poseidon
Book 10: What gift does Aeolus give to Odysseus?
a bag with winds so they could sail down the storm
Book 1: Provide a character inference (adj.) with supporting text evidence for each of the following (pg 90-91):
a. Antinous: is our most forceful of the suitors, prideful b. Eurymachus: he is understanding and self concerned. c. Eurycleia: she devotedly attends to telemachus, and has been nursing telemachus since he was a baby.
Book 11: What is Odysseus' mother's name? How did she die?
anticleia. she dies of grief and a broken heart
Book 11: What does Tiresias tell Odysseus about the blood?
any ghost that approaches it will tell him the truth Anyone he refuses will turn and fade away
Book 2: What are the tone of the suitors (especially Antinous)? Add text evidence. Choose higher level words!
arrogant, self righteous, entitled.
Book 1: What did Odysseus' comrades do? What is the consequence for their actions? (lines 7-10).
ate the cattle of the sun god. they were killed because of that
Book 12: Who leads the rebellion against Odysseus' orders? Why is it painful that it is that specific man? (281)
eurylachus, he has done it twice and causes his men to die, is his second in command, made them swear a oath to not eat the cattle, and he had also been forgiven by Odysseus for his past transgressions.
Book 10: Which crew member refuses to obey Odysseus and shows signs of mutiny?
eurylochus happens twice
Book 10: What happens to Elpenor?
gets drunk and falls off roof, probably headed to underworld
Book 1: What effect does Athena have on the prince? (pg 87-88)
he feels really pleased that the mentor figure is telling him what to do
Book 12: What does Helios' do once he finds out about his cattle? (282-283)
he threatens the gods that he will go to the underworld and stay there
Book 10: Who helps Odysseus avoid falling under Circe's spell?
hermes gives him a potion so that the drug does not work
Book 10: How does this person help?
hermes gives him a potion so that the drug does not work, gives him information about what is going to happens when he enters the palace
Book 12: How does Odysseus react to the sound of the Sirens? (277)
his heart cries out to hear them more, tightening him if he tries to escape
Book 11: What does Odysseus attempt to do to his mother's ghost after she speaks to him?
hug her 3 times. his arms goes through her helps us relate to odysseus and doesn't know his mom is dead until he is there.
Book 11: Describe Tiresias' prophecy. (253-254)
if his men eat the cattle, they will die, he will come home late and a broken man, "you'll come home late and come a broken man- all shipmates lost, alone in a stranger's ship- and you will find a world of pain at home"
Book 1: Describe the suitors' behavior. (pg 81)
killing cows and sheep, and eating all there food and drinking all their wine.
Book 2: Define epithet: Provide three examples from either Book 1 or Book 2:
literary device, characterization flowing haired achaeans sparkling eyed athena giant killer hermes.
Book 11: Describe the appearance of the spirits, or shades.
mist of a cloud and never seen the sun Purpose is to connect with the hero he is terrified.
Book 12: Will Odysseus be able to battle these beasts? What will be his only defense?
no. speeding away and going as fast as he can
Book 12: What does Circe warn Odysseus NOT to do? (275)
not to put on armor, and fight hubris
Book 12: Which side of the course should the ship steer nearer to and why?
scylla because they only lose 6 of their men, but you won't lose all men.
Book 12: There is an epic simile on page 279. What is being compared?
scylla was being compared to a fisherman, and his men are being compared to fish being yanked out of the sea
Book 12: Describe Charybdis. (274)
sea monster, creates a whirlpool gulps the dark water down. Three times a day she vomits it up, three times she gulps it down
Book 2: Why does this make Penelope a good match for Odysseus?
she is clever and wise like her husband
Book 11: What does his mother tell him about his family?
she tells him that penelope is still waiting, things are not going well for her telemachus is holding his great estate in peace, and he is a man of justice. Laertes lives in a farm outside the palace gates and he is barely hanging on and is depressed and is going through grief, and is suffering.
Book 10: How does Circe lure Odysseus' men into her palace?
she's singing
Book 1: Define "plundered" (line 2).
steal goods from (a place or person), typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder
Book 10: Where must Odysseus go when he leaves Circe's palace?
the house of the dead
Book 12: What dangers do the Sirens pose? (272-273)
they sing and draw and hypnotize them
Book 12: Circe suggests a way for Odysseus to hear the Sirens safely; explain. (273)
tie odysseus to the mast and everyone else puts earwax in their ears he wants to hear the sirens because of his pride, he wants to be someone who listens to the sirens and lives.
Book 10: Who must he talk to there?
tiresias, a seer, prophet, going to get info about future
Book 2: What sign does Zeus send and what does the portent foreshadow? (98)
two eagles, it foreshadows that the suitors need to leave. Birds fight over the people
Book 6: Do the Phaeacians honor the Hospitality Code? Explain. (174-175)
yes, nausicaa offers clothes and food to odysseus
