Deck 22: The Return of Odysseus

Question 1

How long was Odysseus away from his home on Ithaca?

A) Twenty-five years
B) Fifteen years
C) Ten years
D) Twenty years

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the Lotus-Eaters?

A) They are cannibals
B) They eat the fruit of the lotus and become forgetful of their home and purpose
C) They are constantly fighting and killing one another in their search for the delicious fruit of the lotus
D) They live in trees, subsisting entirely on the fruit of the lotus

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Why does Odysseus refuse the advice of his men when they suggest that they leave the Cyclops' cave before its occupant returns?

A) Odysseus wants to try to recruit whoever lives in the cave for his crew
B) Odysseus wants to see the owner and the gifts he might offer
C) It is night, and they should not try to return in the dark
D) They are lost, and will need directions from a native of the island to find their way back to the ship

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What name does Odysseus give to Polyphemus when he and his men are trapped in Polyphemus' cave?

A) 'Nobody'
B) 'Paris of Troy'
C) 'Everybody'
D) 'Your mother'

Question 5

How do Odysseus and his men manage to escape the cave of the Cyclops?

A) Hermes turns them all invisible after the Cyclops moves the boulder from the cave entrance
B) By killing the Cyclops and using a huge timber to batter the door down
C) They are rescued by the rest of Odysseus' crew, who have been looking for them
D) By clinging to the bellies of the Cyclops' shaggy flock

Question 6

What gift does Aeolus give Odysseus, in accordance with the custom of xenia?

A) A wineskin that magically contains an endless supply of wine
B) A golden cup
C) A sealed bag that contains the dangerous winds
D) Two dozen cattle

Question 7

The Laestrygonians are _______.

A) Gorgons
B) cannibals
C) shape-shifters
D) exiled Trojans, and hostile to Odysseus

Question 8

Who hangs back and sees Circê transform Odysseus' men, and then reports back to Odysseus in a panic?

A) Thrinacius
B) Elpenor
C) Eurylochus
D) Telegonus

Question 9

Who appears in the forest to Odysseus, and gives him magical protection for his encounter with Circê?

A) Hermes
B) Athena
C) Tiresias
D) The ghost of his mother

Question 10

How long do Odysseus and his crew remain on Circê's island?

A) A year
B) Two years
C) A month
D) Six months

Question 11

Which description best fits the way the Sirens are depicted in Greek art?

A) Beautiful women with long fish tails for legs
B) Sharp-toothed wolves with wings
C) A woman's head on a winged lion's body
D) The heads and breasts of women, but the wings and bodies of birds

Question 12

What is Scylla?

A) A cliff-dwelling monster with six long necks, each with its own head
B) A set of facing cliffsides that open and slam shut throughout the day
C) A vengeful ghost that patrols the sea near the island of Circê
D) An enormous whirlpool that sucks down and spits up a torrent of water three times a day

Question 13

On Helius' island of Thrinacia, Odysseus and his men are forbidden to eat _______.

A) any fish they catch
B) Helius' cattle
C) anything made from the plants that grow on the island
D) anything at all

Question 14

Odysseus remains on Ogygia with Calypso for _______.

A) a year
B) seven months
C) seven years
D) a month

Question 15

The night before she meets Odysseus, Nausicaä has a dream, sent by Athena, that she should _______ the next day.

A) wait beside the grove of Athena outside the city walls
B) prepare for a wedding
C) obey her father
D) wash her clothes

Question 16

Who is Argus?

A) A loyal pigherder of Odysseus on Ithaca
B) Odysseus' old, faithful dog
C) A deceitful friend of Telemachus, who is secretly reporting to the suitors
D) The ringleader of the suitors in Odysseus' palace

Question 17

How did Penelope manage to trick the suitors after promising to marry one of them?

A) By weaving a burial robe by day, but secretly unweaving part of it at night
B) By presenting false letters from Odysseus
C) By appealing to Menelaus, who pretends to marry her
D) By pretending to be ill, and cursed by Athena

Question 18

Penelope, aided by Athena, decides that she will finally marry the suitor who is victorious in what particular contest?

A) The suitor must defeat the Chimaera with Odysseus' spear
B) The suitor must string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through twelve ax handles
C) The suitor must win a chariot race against Telemachus
D) The suitor must win a ship race around the island of Ithaca

Question 19

According to later legends, Odysseus had a child with Circê named _______.

A) Megapenthes
B) Dircê
C) Telegonus
D) Pyrrhus

Question 20

Which god is Odysseus' relentless enemy?

A) Hera
B) Zeus
C) Poseidon
D) Hades

Question 21

Here we see Odysseus (on the left, naked) not long after he has washed up on the island of the Phaeacians; who, then, are the two central female figures?

A) Circê
B) Nausicaä
C) Athena
D) Calypso