THE ODYSSEY UPDATED EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Which god hates Odysseus? - ✔✔Poseidon because he blinded Polyphemus.
✔✔Which god helps out Odysseus? - ✔✔Athena
✔✔Why does Homer refer to the Muse in the first line? What is this called? - ✔✔To
inspire his storytelling. This is the INVOCATION.
✔✔What is Odysseus' tragic flaw at the BEGINNING of the "Cyclops" episode? -
✔✔curiosity
✔✔What virtue does Polyphemus NOT exhibit to his guests? - ✔✔hospitality
✔✔Odysseus' major epic hero trait during the Cyclops episode is - ✔✔intelligence
✔✔What is Odysseus' tragic flaw at the END of the Cyclops episode? - ✔✔excessive
pride/arrogance (taunting the Cyclops and telling him his real name)
✔✔How and why does Athena disguise Odysseus? - ✔✔Athena disguises him as an
old, homeless man so he can surprise the suitors at his house.
✔✔Who are the two "leaders" of the suitors? - ✔✔Antinous and Eurymachus
✔✔Which suitor does Odysseus kill first and how? - ✔✔Odysseus kills Antinous first
with an arrow through the neck.
✔✔What does Eurymachus say to try to save his own life? - ✔✔Eurymachus pins all the
blame on Antinous, pleads everyone else's freedom, and promises to repay what they
took.
✔✔How does Penelope use their bed to test if Odysseus is really her husband? -
✔✔Penelope tells a servant to move the master bed. This was a bed that Odysseus
built himself from the trunk of an olive tree that would be impossible for anyone to move,
but only Odysseus would know that.
✔✔Ithaca - ✔✔Odysseus's home and kingdom
✔✔This story is based on Odysseus's return from the ________ . - ✔✔Trojan War
✔✔Odysseus's son - ✔✔Telemachus
✔✔One of Odysseus's enemies? (a god) - ✔✔Poseidon
, ✔✔One of Odysseus's enemies? (cyclops) - ✔✔Polyphemus
✔✔Who turned Odysseus' men into pigs? - ✔✔Circe
✔✔How does Odysseus win the battle with the Cyclops? - ✔✔Tricks Polyphemus with a
false name and wine, then blinds him and escapes under the bellies of sheep.
✔✔What does Circe turn Odysseus's men into? - ✔✔Pigs
✔✔What is Odysseus disguised as when he returns to Ithaca? - ✔✔a beggar
✔✔Which god gives Odysseus the most trouble? - ✔✔Poseidon
✔✔What weapon is used in the challenge Penelope presents the suitors with? - ✔✔bow
and arrow
✔✔A mild danger, the lotus, is to be avoided because anyone who eats it: - ✔✔wishes
to stay in the land of the lotus forever
✔✔An epic is best defined as a: - ✔✔long narrative poem about a hero
✔✔Why does Odysseus blind the Cyclops rather than kill him? - ✔✔Only Cyclops can
move the boulder blocking the cave
✔✔What trait of an epic hero does Odysseus show when he ties his men to the sheep?
- ✔✔cleverness/ intelligence
✔✔How does Odysseus get his men past the sirens? - ✔✔fills their ears with wax
✔✔Why do Odysseus' men eat the sun god's cattle? - ✔✔They're starving because
they've been trapped on the island and have already eaten all their food.
✔✔What happens to Odysseus and his men after they eat the sun god's cattle? -
✔✔Zeus is mad; he strikes their ship with a lightning bolt and all die except Odysseus.
✔✔Describe the challenge Penelope created to choose a suitor: - ✔✔string Odysseus's
bow and shoot an arrow through 12 ax heads
✔✔How long was Odysseus gone TOTAL from home? - ✔✔20 years! (10 years at war,
10 years getting home)
✔✔How many suitors did Odysseus and Telemachus have to kill? - ✔✔Over 100 !!
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Which god hates Odysseus? - ✔✔Poseidon because he blinded Polyphemus.
✔✔Which god helps out Odysseus? - ✔✔Athena
✔✔Why does Homer refer to the Muse in the first line? What is this called? - ✔✔To
inspire his storytelling. This is the INVOCATION.
✔✔What is Odysseus' tragic flaw at the BEGINNING of the "Cyclops" episode? -
✔✔curiosity
✔✔What virtue does Polyphemus NOT exhibit to his guests? - ✔✔hospitality
✔✔Odysseus' major epic hero trait during the Cyclops episode is - ✔✔intelligence
✔✔What is Odysseus' tragic flaw at the END of the Cyclops episode? - ✔✔excessive
pride/arrogance (taunting the Cyclops and telling him his real name)
✔✔How and why does Athena disguise Odysseus? - ✔✔Athena disguises him as an
old, homeless man so he can surprise the suitors at his house.
✔✔Who are the two "leaders" of the suitors? - ✔✔Antinous and Eurymachus
✔✔Which suitor does Odysseus kill first and how? - ✔✔Odysseus kills Antinous first
with an arrow through the neck.
✔✔What does Eurymachus say to try to save his own life? - ✔✔Eurymachus pins all the
blame on Antinous, pleads everyone else's freedom, and promises to repay what they
took.
✔✔How does Penelope use their bed to test if Odysseus is really her husband? -
✔✔Penelope tells a servant to move the master bed. This was a bed that Odysseus
built himself from the trunk of an olive tree that would be impossible for anyone to move,
but only Odysseus would know that.
✔✔Ithaca - ✔✔Odysseus's home and kingdom
✔✔This story is based on Odysseus's return from the ________ . - ✔✔Trojan War
✔✔Odysseus's son - ✔✔Telemachus
✔✔One of Odysseus's enemies? (a god) - ✔✔Poseidon
, ✔✔One of Odysseus's enemies? (cyclops) - ✔✔Polyphemus
✔✔Who turned Odysseus' men into pigs? - ✔✔Circe
✔✔How does Odysseus win the battle with the Cyclops? - ✔✔Tricks Polyphemus with a
false name and wine, then blinds him and escapes under the bellies of sheep.
✔✔What does Circe turn Odysseus's men into? - ✔✔Pigs
✔✔What is Odysseus disguised as when he returns to Ithaca? - ✔✔a beggar
✔✔Which god gives Odysseus the most trouble? - ✔✔Poseidon
✔✔What weapon is used in the challenge Penelope presents the suitors with? - ✔✔bow
and arrow
✔✔A mild danger, the lotus, is to be avoided because anyone who eats it: - ✔✔wishes
to stay in the land of the lotus forever
✔✔An epic is best defined as a: - ✔✔long narrative poem about a hero
✔✔Why does Odysseus blind the Cyclops rather than kill him? - ✔✔Only Cyclops can
move the boulder blocking the cave
✔✔What trait of an epic hero does Odysseus show when he ties his men to the sheep?
- ✔✔cleverness/ intelligence
✔✔How does Odysseus get his men past the sirens? - ✔✔fills their ears with wax
✔✔Why do Odysseus' men eat the sun god's cattle? - ✔✔They're starving because
they've been trapped on the island and have already eaten all their food.
✔✔What happens to Odysseus and his men after they eat the sun god's cattle? -
✔✔Zeus is mad; he strikes their ship with a lightning bolt and all die except Odysseus.
✔✔Describe the challenge Penelope created to choose a suitor: - ✔✔string Odysseus's
bow and shoot an arrow through 12 ax heads
✔✔How long was Odysseus gone TOTAL from home? - ✔✔20 years! (10 years at war,
10 years getting home)
✔✔How many suitors did Odysseus and Telemachus have to kill? - ✔✔Over 100 !!
