Sample questions for Mythology midterm I (Fall 08)

Blue books will not be necessary: I will provide paper.

Format:
Part I: slides (10 points; 1 each). The slides will be shown sometime in the middle of the hour after everyone has arrived. Sample: you see a picture of a god holding a lyre. Question: what god is this and how do you know?

Part II: Fill in the blank (40 points; 1 each). Samples below. Spelling policy: correct spelling is not required for full credit, HOWEVER: I must be able to recognize the name, and it must not be close enough to any other name to cause confusion. “Zues” is a minor error; “Thesis” could be either Theseus or Thetis and would not receive credit. I reserve the right to count any answer wrong if misspelled.

Part III: Essay-style questions. (50 points; 25 each). Samples below. Choose TWO questions out of four and answer in complete sentences. If you attempt more than two, I will grade only the first two on your paper. Answers will be judged on quality, completeness, and organization-not length.

Sample fill-ins:
1. Zeus battled the Titans as well as the great monster spawned by Gaea, _______________.
2. ____________________ the Cyclops had one eye and was the son of Poseidon.
3. ____________________ had intercourse with Iasion in a thrice-plowed field and the offspring was _________________.
4. Cronus swallowed all his children except the youngest, ______________.
5. An important mystery religion honoring Demeter and Persephone was located at the town of ____________________ outside Athens.
6. _____________________ was punished in Tartarus by having to roll a stone up a hill.
7. The Panathenaia in the town of Athens was a festival in honor of ______________.
8. The name Arachne means _______________________.
9. Marpessa chose the human Idas over the god __________________ as a husband.
10. Both the _____________ of Cumae and the lover of Eos, ______________, gained eternal life but not youth.

Sample essays:
1. Give at least three examples of “schools” of interpreting myth. How might each one be applied to specific myths?
2. Contrast Athena as a civilizing deity with the other gods, especially Poseidon and Ares.
3. Describe the Greco-Roman idea of the afterlife. How is it different from the Christian idea of heaven and hell?
4. What is an oracle? Describe the importance of Apollo’s oracle in Greek society and tell how it worked.