Book V Quiz — The Odyssey

Who sends Mercury to deliver the decree that Ulysses must leave Calypso's island?

• Minerva
• Jove
• Neptune
• Diana

What is Calypso doing when Mercury arrives at her cave?

• Gathering herbs on the hillside
• Weaving at her loom and singing
• Bathing in one of the four rills
• Preparing a feast of ambrosia

How many trees does Ulysses cut down to build his raft?

• Ten
• Fifteen
• Twenty
• Twenty-five

Which constellation does Calypso tell Ulysses to keep to his left while sailing?

• The Pleiades
• Orion
• The Bear (the Wain)
• Bootes

Where is Neptune returning from when he spots Ulysses sailing?

• Aegae
• Troy
• Ethiopia
• Mount Olympus

Who gives Ulysses an enchanted veil during the storm at sea?

• Minerva
• Calypso
• Ino (Leucothea)
• Diana

What simile describes the winds tossing Ulysses's raft?

• Like a ship dashed on rocks
• Like autumn winds whirling thistledown
• Like a chariot thrown from a cliff
• Like a leaf spinning in a whirlpool

How does Ulysses finally get ashore on the Phaeacian coast?

• He is carried by dolphins
• He finds the mouth of a river and swims into it
• Minerva lifts him from the waves
• He rides a plank to a sandy beach

In Book V, Calypso offers to make Ulysses immortal if he stays with her.

In Book V, Minerva personally appears to Ulysses during the storm to guide him to shore.

In the text, what does "harbinger" mean in the phrase "harbinger of light alike to mortals and immortals"?

• Guardian
• Forerunner or herald
• Source of warmth
• Bearer of gifts

What does "suppliant" mean when Ulysses says "I declare myself your suppliant" to the river god?

• A willing servant
• A humble petitioner seeking mercy
• A visiting dignitary
• A fellow deity

In the context of the chapter, what is an "adze"?

• A type of sail
• A woodworking tool for shaping timber
• A bronze fastener
• A measuring instrument