Book I Quiz — The Odyssey

Why has Ulysses been unable to return home after the Trojan War?

• He was killed in battle at Troy
• He is detained by Calypso and persecuted by Neptune
• He chose to remain abroad exploring new lands
• Jove has forbidden him from returning to Ithaca

What example does Jove use to argue that mortals cause their own suffering?

• The fall of Troy
• Ulysses blinding Polyphemus
• Aegisthus seducing Agamemnon’s wife and murdering Agamemnon
• The suitors consuming Ulysses’ wealth

What disguise does Minerva adopt when she visits Ithaca?

• An old beggar seeking shelter
• Mentes, chief of the Taphians
• Mentor, an advisor to Telemachus
• A traveling merchant from Crete

What does Minerva advise Telemachus to do after calling an assembly?

• Raise an army and attack the suitors immediately
• Sail to Calypso’s island to find his father
• Sail to Pylos and Sparta to seek news of his father
• Send a message to Neptune begging for his father’s release

How does Telemachus assert his authority to Penelope when she asks Phemius to stop singing?

• He agrees with her and orders Phemius to play a different song
• He tells her that speech is man’s matter and that he is master of the house
• He quietly asks her to return to her room without drawing attention
• He ignores her request and continues his conversation with Mentes

Which suitor mockingly suggests that Jove should never let Telemachus become chief of Ithaca?

• Eurymachus
• Phemius
• Antinous
• Mentes

Why is Neptune absent from the council of gods on Olympus?

• He is searching for Ulysses at sea
• He is feasting with the Ethiopians
• He has been banished by Jove
• He is guarding Calypso’s island

Which of these events actually occur in Book I of The Odyssey?

Which of these statements about the divine council are accurate in Book I?

What does "hecatomb" mean as used in the text?

• A massive funeral pyre for fallen warriors
• A large-scale sacrificial offering to the gods
• A fleet of warships assembled for battle
• A sacred temple built on a mountaintop

What does "blandishment" mean when Minerva says Calypso uses "every kind of blandishment" on Ulysses?

• Physical restraint or imprisonment
• Magical enchantment or spell
• Flattering or coaxing speech meant to persuade
• Harsh threat or intimidation

What does "propitiate" mean when Minerva asks if Ulysses did not "propitiate" Jove with sacrifices?

• To anger or offend deliberately
• To win favor through pleasing actions or offerings
• To predict the future through ritual
• To challenge someone to a contest