Odyssey Study Guide answers – Flashcards
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Describe Odysseus' attitude about fighting in the Trojan War and how he tried to avoid being drafted
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He didn't want to fight at all. He pretended to be insane so he didn't have to go and fight
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What is an epic?
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long narrative poems that tell of the adventures of heroes who in some way embody the values of their civilizations
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How many years ago were people listening to Homer's stories?
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Three thousand
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What are myths?
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Traditional stories, rooted in a particular culture, that usually explain a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural phenomenon
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The author of The Odyssey is ________. What is unique about him?
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Homer; he is blind
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How did Odysseus use his brain to help win the war against Troy?
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He thought of the wooden horse trick- the Greek soldiers hid inside a wooden horse. The Greeks allowed the horse in because they thought it was a peace offering
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The old woman who served as Odysseus' name is _________.
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Eurycleia
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How does Penelope delay choosing one of the suitors as a husband?
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She says she has to weave and at night time she would undo what she had done that day. Then she would continue to do that each day for 20 years.
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List the members of Odysseus' immediate family
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Penelope- wife Telemachus- son
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In the end why does Penelope think Odysseus is not who he claims to be?
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He dressed up like a beggar
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Explain how Odysseus proves his identity to Penelope
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He tells her the secret about their bed about how one post is made from an olive tree
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At the end, what two things does Odysseus arrange at the castle so that the suitors will be trapped and helpless?
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To have all the doors locked and their weapons taken away
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When Odysseus returns home, Athena advises him to disguise himself as ________. Why?
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Beggar because the suitors will try to harm them
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Why do Penelope's suitors not want Odysseus to try the test?
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Odysseus can do the task but it is too hard for the suitors to do. Only someone like Odysseus could do it.
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In "The Beggar and the Faithful Dog", who recognizes Odysseus in his disguise?
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His dog, Argos
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Describe the condition of Odysseus's dog Argos when Odysseus returns home
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He is very sick and old and he dies
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How is Odysseus received by the suitors?
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Rude- one of them threw a stool at him and they called him bad names
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What impossible task does Penelope give the suitors?
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She tells them to shoot a bow through several small holes.
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Why do the suitors have difficulty with the task Penelope gives them?
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Because only Odysseus can complete that task; it is an impossible task
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Stories about the Cyclops, Penelope's suitors, and Odysseus at King Alcinous' court all involve what tradition in ancient Greek culture?
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hospitality (being nice to your guests)
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Why does Telemachus execute the maids?
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The maids were not loyal to his mother, Penelope.
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When Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, what does his son think?
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At first, he did not think that Odysseus was his father. Telemachus said that no mortal man can become a beggar
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To reward the help if swineherd and cowherd in his battle with the suitors, Odysseus offers them what?
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He offers them houses and food
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What prediction of Tiresias and Circe does Odysseus withhold from his men?
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That they are all doomed except Odysseus
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Odysseus tells Calypso that he wishes to return to Penelope because he ________.
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misses her; he longs for the sight of home
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Why must Calypso allow Odysseus to leave her island?
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the Gods tell her she must
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What happens when Odysseus is with Calypso?
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He cries in the day and is with her at night.
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In what type of dwelling does Calypso live?
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in a cave on an island
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What happens to Odysseus's men after they eat lotus plant?
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They don't want to leave the island
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How does Odysseus get his men away from the Lotus?
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ties them up and drags them to the boat
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How does Odysseus hurt Polyphemus?
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stabs him in the eye
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From what we discover about Circe, we can assume that her tame wolves and mountains lions are what?
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people she held hostage and turned into animals
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How does Odysseus save his crew from the Sirens' song?
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filled their ears with beeswax and row for their lives
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Why does Odysseus not warn his crew about Scylla?
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He doesn't want them to be coward
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Who was the leader of the Greek forces during the Trojan war?
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Agamemnon
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The Odyssey is the middle for the epic of _________.
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the long journey
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What are three facts about The Illiad?
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-The setting is in Troy -Agamemnon's demand for Achilles' war prize is the major conflict -It is told in past tense
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Who is blamed for starting the Trojan war?
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Helen
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Who is the goddess of wisdom?
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Athena
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Who is the king of the gods?
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Zeus
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Who is the god of the sea, also known as earth-shaker?
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Poseidon
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Who is the sun god?
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Helios
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Who is the messenger god?
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Hermes
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What issues is Telemachus struggling with?
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All the men are trying to get to his mom. Penelope is crying over it.
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What is rhapsode?
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"Singers of tales" - historians and entertainers as well as the myth makers of their time
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Who were the muses? How many were there?
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The 9 daughters of Zeus. They inspired people to produce music, poetry, dance, and all the other arts
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How does Odysseus trick Polyphemus?
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Odysseus makes him drunk, tells him Odysseus' name was "Nobody" so that when he stabbed him in the eye, and someone asked who hurt him, he would say "Nobody"
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What is the one lesson Odysseus and his men learn in "The Cyclops"?
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They learn to not go to a new land and seek trouble
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Give two examples of Odysseus uses his intellect while with Cyclops.
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He tells Cyclops his name is nobody and he blinds him
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What does Odysseus demand from Polyphemus when they first meet him?
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hospitality
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What is clearly the most unpleasant part of their stay with Cyclops?
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the men were getting eaten by the Cyclops
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What amazes Odysseus's men when they first encounter Circe's island?
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It looks like it is completely deserted. As they go farther inland they find a huge mansion with many exotic animals that are predators like a bear.
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What does Odysseus learn in "The Land of the Dead"?
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His mother is dead. His son is well. His wife is weeping. Father exiled himself. If you kill the cows, no one will remember when you got home.
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What does Circe do to the men after feasting with her?
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turns them into pigs
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On Odysseus' way to see Circe, he is met by ______ who gives him ________. This protects him from being turned into a ___________.
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Hermes; moly; pig
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In order to leave Circe's island, where must Odysseus go?
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The Land of the Dead
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As the men start on their journey from Circe's island, how does Odysseus deceive his men?
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He did not tell his men that they were going to the Land of the Dead
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What does Odysseus do to his men in order to help them resist the Sirens?
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asks the gods for help
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What was Odysseus doing that caused him not be able to prevent his men from cooking the cattle of the sun god?
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he was asleep
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When facing a choice between Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus decides to go toward what?
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He goes toward the Scylla
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In "The Cattle of the Sun God," how is the situation of Odysseus's men ironic?
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it's ironic because they are starving but there is cattle everywhere
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Who is the beautiful nymph goddess who keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years?
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Calypso
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Who is the enchantress and goddess who turns Odysseus' men into swine?
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Circe
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Who is the female monster who sucks in water three times a day to form a deadly whirlpool?
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Charybdis
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What is the dark area of the underworld where the dead reside?
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Erebus
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Who is the female monster who has six heads and eats Odysseus' men?
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Scylla
