Book III Quiz — The Odyssey

What are the people of Pylos doing when Telemachus arrives?

• Preparing for war against a neighboring city
• Sacrificing black bulls to Poseidon on the seashore
• Celebrating Nestor's birthday with games and feasting
• Holding a funeral for one of Nestor's sons

Why does Telemachus hesitate to approach Nestor at first?

• He fears Nestor will be hostile to the son of Odysseus
• He is ashamed to question someone so much older than himself
• He does not want to interrupt the sacrifice to Poseidon
• He is afraid Nestor will deliver bad news about his father

What caused the quarrel between Agamemnon and Menelaus after the fall of Troy?

• A dispute over the division of war spoils
• Whether to sail home immediately or stay to offer sacrifices to Athena
• Which route to take across the sea back to Greece
• Whether to pursue the surviving Trojans

How long did Aegisthus rule Mycenae before Orestes killed him?

• Three years
• Five years
• Seven years
• Ten years

How does Athena depart from the feast at Pylos?

• She walks away into the darkness and vanishes
• She flies away in the form of an eagle
• She transforms into a sea bird and flies over the ocean
• She dissolves into a golden mist

What does Nestor do to honor Athena the morning after she reveals herself?

• He builds a new temple in her name
• He sacrifices a gilded heifer to her
• He dedicates a golden statue at his palace
• He sends treasure to her temple at Athens

Who accompanies Telemachus on his chariot journey to Sparta?

• Athena disguised as Mentor
• Nestor himself
• Pisistratus, Nestor's son
• Thrasymedes, Nestor's eldest son

What comparison does Nestor draw between Telemachus and Odysseus?

• That they have the same physical appearance and build
• That they both share Odysseus's skill in archery
• That Telemachus speaks in the same manner as his father
• That they both have the same cunning in battle

True or False: Nestor tells Telemachus that Odysseus sailed all the way home with him from Troy.

True or False: Pisistratus serves Athena (disguised as Mentor) wine before serving Telemachus, giving her precedence as the elder guest.

In Book III, Nestor says they should have offered "hecatombs" to Athena. What is a hecatomb?

• A solemn prayer recited by priests
• A large-scale animal sacrifice to the gods
• A written oath of allegiance to a deity
• A processional march to a temple

When Nestor says Aegisthus "cajoled" Clytemnestra, what does he mean?

• He threatened her with violence
• He persuaded her through persistent flattery
• He bribed her with gold and jewels
• He deceived her about Agamemnon's fate

Nestor wants to "propitiate" the goddess Athena. What does propitiate mean?

• To challenge or defy
• To win the favor of by doing something pleasing
• To publicly praise or glorify
• To summon or invoke