Format:
Part I: slides (10 points; 1 each). The slides will be shown sometime in the
middle of the hour after everyone has arrived.
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.The city of ____________, located in Boeotia, was founded by Cadmus.
2. Neoptolemus, the son of _____________, killed Hector’s infant son
__________________ in the sack of Troy.
3.Eris threw down a golden apple at the wedding of ______________ and ____________.
4.The only Greek to return from Troy safely and with no delays was old __________________,
who went to his palace at Pylos.
5. ______________ was chased by the Furies for killing his own mother.
6.Medusa was one of the three ______________.
7. _______________ was the witch who turned Odysseus’ men into swine.
8. Pelops won the hand of _________________ by beating her father in a chariot
race.
9. ________________ was sacrificed by her father so that the winds might blow
the Greek ships to Troy.
10. Heracles fought a three-headed herdsman named ________________.
11. The cousin who became king instead of Herakles and assigned his Labors was
called ______________.
12. Perseus rescued the maiden ______________ from the sea monster.
Sample essays:
1. How is the Greek concept of “hero” different from the modern
idea of someone who sets a moral or courageous example? What are some characteristics
of a typical hero? Be sure to give specific examples.
2.In what sense does Heracles transcend the distinctions between god, man and
beast? Give examples from his myths.
3. How is the idea of a family curse played out in the Theban and Mycenaean
sagas? (a brief summary is sufficient). How is the curse resolved in Aeschylus’ trilogy
about the house of Atreus, the Oresteia?
4. What is the epic cycle of Troy? What is its relationship to the Iliad? What
parts of the Trojan story were NOT told in the Iliad?
Answers to sample fill-ins:
1. Thebes
2. Achilles, Astyanax
3. Peleus, Thetis
4. Nestor
5. Orestes
6. Gorgons
7. Circe
8. Hippodameia
9. Iphigenia
10. Geryon
11. Eurystheus
12. Andromeda