Question 1

What did the Greek word mythos originally mean?
A) "digression"
B) "authoritative speech" or "story"
C) "family tree"
D) "interpretation"

Accepted Answer

"Mythos" originally meant "authoritative speech" or "story" in Greek.

Question 2

The word "character" comes from a Greek word meaning _______.
A) "a certain mental imprint"
B) "genealogy"
C) "interpretation"
D) "system of belief"

Accepted Answer

The word "character" is derived from the Greek word "kharakter," which means "a certain mental imprint" or "a distinctive mark."

Question 3

Like all other stories, myths have which three elements?
A) plot
B) a fixed theme
C) characters
D) setting

Accepted Answer

Myths, like all other stories, have a plot, characters, and a setting.

Question 4

The Greeks eventually came to contrast mythos with ______, or "account."
A) ethos
B) syntaxis
C) synthesis
D) logos

Accepted Answer

The Greeks contrasted "mythos," meaning myth or story, with "logos," which means reason or account.

Question 5

_______ are stories of the great deeds of human heroes or heroines.
A) Divine myths
B) Legends
C) Folktales
D) Fairy tales

Accepted Answer

Legends are narratives that focus on the great deeds and adventures of human heroes or heroines, often rooted in historical events or figures.

Question 6

What are some of the features of supernatural beings in divine myths?
A) They can take on human or animal shapes at will
B) They control awesome forces of nature
C) Conflicts among them take place on an immense scale
D) They are all little more than personified abstractions

Accepted Answer

Supernatural beings in divine myths often have the ability to shape-shift, control natural forces, and engage in large-scale conflicts, reflecting their immense power and influence.

Question 7

Zeus, the Greek sky-god, is depicted in which of the following ways in Greek myths?
A) The creator of all human moral commandments
B) The upholder of justice in human communities
C) A powerful father
D) An often unfaithful husband

Accepted Answer

Zeus is often depicted as the upholder of justice, a powerful father figure, and an unfaithful husband in Greek mythology. He is not typically described as the creator of all human moral commandments.

Question 8

Divine myth is easily confused with _______.
A) fairy tales
B) modern forms of storytelling such as novels and films
C) religion
D) folktales

Accepted Answer

Divine myth is often confused with religion because both involve deities and supernatural elements, but divine myths are traditional stories that explain the origins and nature of the world, while religion encompasses a broader system of beliefs and practices.

Question 9

Both _______ and _______ offer explanations of why the world is the way it is, though in different ways.
A) divine myth
B) archaeology
C) legend
D) science

Accepted Answer

Science offers explanations of why the world is the way it is through empirical evidence and logical reasoning.

Question 10

Which of the following are among the qualities of the heroes and heroines in legends?
A) Members of important families regarded themselves as descended from them
B) They are drawn from all levels of society
C) They have extraordinary physical and personal qualities
D) They are understood to belong to the very distant past

Accepted Answer

Heroes and heroines in legends are often seen as ancestors of important families (A), possess extraordinary qualities (C), and are typically set in a distant past (D). They are not usually drawn from all levels of society (B).

Question 11

Greek myth tells us more about the _______ than it does about life in the distant past.
A) Minoans
B) preconceptions of modern scholars
C) the circumstances and concerns of its transmitters
D) Greeks' relationship with other cultures

Accepted Answer

Greek myth reflects the circumstances and concerns of the people who transmitted these stories, rather than providing an accurate historical account of ancient life.

Question 12

Stories like "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "Sinbad the Sailor" could be considered _______.
A) etiological tales
B) divine myths
C) sagas
D) folktales

Accepted Answer

These stories are considered folktales as they are traditional stories passed down through generations, often with moral lessons or entertainment value.

Question 13

Which of the following qualities are often found in the main characters of folktales?
A) They are always animals
B) They are of low social status, at least in the beginning
C) They are persecuted or victimized in some way
D) They are understood to have lived in the not-too-distant past

Accepted Answer

Main characters in folktales are often of low social status and are persecuted or victimized, which helps to create a relatable underdog story.

Question 14

Scholars recognize more than ______ folktale types, even in stories from cultures far apart in space and time.
A) seven
B) seventy
C) one hundred and seventy
D) seven hundred

Accepted Answer

Scholars recognize more than seven hundred folktale types, indicating the vast diversity and commonality of storytelling across different cultures and times.

Question 15

What defines a folktale type?
A) There is no agreed-upon definition of a folktale type
B) The presence of a single, defined folktale motif
C) The presence of a quest
D) A recurring constellation of folktale motifs

Accepted Answer

A folktale type is defined by a recurring constellation of motifs, which are narrative elements that appear in various combinations across different stories.

Question 16

Which of the following is not an example of a folktale motif?
A) "a magic carpet"
B) "a brother"
C) "a magic object that protects against attack"
D) "a dragon that guards a spring"

Accepted Answer

A "brother" is a character, not a motif. Folktale motifs are recurring thematic elements or symbols, such as magical objects or creatures.

Question 17

Which of the following are characteristics of a folktale quest?
A) The hero must overcome a powerful antagonist
B) The hero is punished by the gods for his hubris
C) The hero needs special assistance along the way
D) The antagonist initially gets the better of the hero, but he escapes

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following are characteristics of...

Question 18

The word "mythology" should mean what?
A) "oral narratives"
B) "the study of myth"
C) "[only] Greek and Roman traditional narratives"
D) "the collective evidence for all myths, in all versions"

Accepted Answer

The suffix "-ology" typically means "the study of," so "mythology" means "the study of myth."

Question 19

Which of the following is not one of the four categories into which modern scholars group the study of myth?
A) The recording and compilation of a given culture's myths
B) The analysis of the role that specific myths play or played within a culture
C) The cataloguing of myths that are confirmed by archaeology
D) The assessment of the lasting human significance of specific myths or groups of myths

Accepted Answer

The cataloguing of myths that are confirmed by archaeology is not a recognized category in the study of myth. The other options are standard categories used by scholars to study myths.

Question 20

The principal source for the study of ancient myths is _______.
A) works of literature
B) archaeology
C) ancient art
D) inscriptions from the Late Bronze Age

Accepted Answer

The principal source for the study of ancient myths is works of literature, as they provide written accounts of the stories and beliefs of ancient cultures.

Quiz 1: The Nature of Myth

What did the Greek word mythos originally mean?

The word "character" comes from a Greek word meaning _______.

Like all other stories, myths have which three elements?

The Greeks eventually came to contrast mythos with ______, or "account."

_______ are stories of the great deeds of human heroes or heroines.

What are some of the features of supernatural beings in divine myths?

Zeus, the Greek sky-god, is depicted in which of the following ways in Greek myths?

Divine myth is easily confused with _______.

Both _ and _ offer explanations of why the world is the way it is, though in different ways.

Which of the following are among the qualities of the heroes and heroines in legends?

Greek myth tells us more about the _______ than it does about life in the distant past.

Stories like "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "Sinbad the Sailor" could be considered _______.

Which of the following qualities are often found in the main characters of folktales?

Scholars recognize more than ______ folktale types, even in stories from cultures far apart in space and time.

What defines a folktale type?

Which of the following is not an example of a folktale motif?

Which of the following are characteristics of a folktale quest?

The word "mythology" should mean what?

Which of the following is not one of the four categories into which modern scholars group the study of myth?

The principal source for the study of ancient myths is _______.