Book VIII Quiz — The Odyssey

How many oarsmen does Alcinous order to man the ship for Ulysses?

• Twenty
• Thirty-six
• Fifty-two
• One hundred

What physical disability does the bard Demodocus have?

• He is deaf
• He is blind
• He is lame
• He cannot speak except in song

What does Euryalus compare Ulysses to when insulting him?

• A cowardly soldier
• A grasping merchant trader
• An old beggar
• A wandering shepherd

Which god reveals the affair between Mars and Venus to Vulcan?

• Jupiter (Jove)
• Mercury (Hermes)
• Neptune (Poseidon)
• The Sun (Helios)

Which god guarantees that Mars will pay his debts to Vulcan?

• Mercury
• Apollo
• Neptune
• Jupiter

What special knot does Ulysses use to secure the chest of gifts?

• A sailor's knot taught by Neptune
• A knot taught by Circe
• A knot taught by Minerva
• A Phaeacian double-knot

What is Demodocus's third and final song about in Book VIII?

• The wrath of Achilles
• The wanderings of Ulysses at sea
• The wooden horse and the fall of Troy
• The homecoming of Agamemnon

To what does Homer compare Ulysses' weeping at the end of Book VIII?

• A child separated from its mother
• A soldier dying on the battlefield
• A woman mourning her slain husband as she is dragged into slavery
• A river overflowing its banks in a storm

Ulysses reveals his true identity to the Phaeacians during the athletic games.

Nausicaa bids Ulysses farewell and asks him to remember her when he reaches home.

In the context of Book VIII, what does "suppliant" mean when Ulysses says he comes "as a suppliant"?

• A wealthy traveler seeking luxury
• A humble petitioner begging for help
• A foreign diplomat on official business
• A warrior seeking combat

What does "propitiation" mean when the Trojans consider keeping the wooden horse "as an offering and propitiation for the gods"?

• A display of military strength
• An act of appeasing or winning divine favor
• A decorative monument
• A protective fortification

What is an "ambuscade" as used in the description of the Greeks emerging from the wooden horse?

• A military parade
• A diplomatic negotiation
• A concealed position for a surprise attack; an ambush
• A fortified encampment