Book XV Quiz — The Odyssey

Where does Athena find Telemachus at the beginning of Book XV?

• In the palace of Nestor at Pylos
• In the forecourt of Menelaus's house in Lacedaemon
• On board his ship at Ithaca
• At the swineherd Eumaeus's hut

What warning does Athena give Telemachus about the suitors?

• They have already married Penelope
• They are lying in wait to kill him in the strait between Ithaca and Samos
• They have seized his property and divided it among themselves
• They have set fire to his palace

What does Helen give Telemachus as a parting gift?

• A golden necklace with amber beads
• A silver mixing-bowl rimmed with gold
• An embroidered robe she made herself for his future bride
• A pair of bronze tripods

How does Helen interpret the eagle omen at Telemachus's departure?

• As a warning that the journey home will be dangerous
• As a sign that Telemachus will become a great warrior
• As meaning Odysseus will return and take revenge on the suitors
• As indicating that Penelope should remarry quickly

Why does Telemachus ask Pisistratus not to take him to Nestor's house at Pylos?

• He is afraid Nestor will betray him to the suitors
• He knows Nestor will try to detain him out of hospitality
• He wants to avoid the long road from the harbor to the palace
• He has had a quarrel with Nestor's other sons

Why is Theoclymenus fleeing Argos?

• He stole sacred artifacts from a temple
• He made a false prophecy that angered the king
• He killed a kinsman and the dead man's family is pursuing him
• He was exiled for practicing forbidden sorcery

What does Eumaeus reveal about the cause of Anticlea's death?

• She was killed during a suitor's raid on the household
• She died of a plague that swept through Ithaca
• She died of sorrow over her absent son Odysseus
• She was struck down by the goddess Artemis

According to Eumaeus's story, what happened to the Phoenician slave woman who kidnapped him?

• She was captured and imprisoned by Laertes
• She escaped successfully to her homeland of Sidon
• The goddess Diana struck her dead on the seventh day at sea and the crew threw her overboard
• She was sold into slavery on a different island

Did Telemachus accept Theoclymenus aboard his ship as a fugitive seeking asylum?

Did Telemachus visit Nestor's palace at Pylos on his return journey?

In Book XV, the word "suppliant" describes Theoclymenus when he begs Telemachus for passage. What does "suppliant" mean?

• A traveling merchant selling goods port to port
• A person who humbly begs for help or protection, invoking sacred obligation
• A skilled sailor recruited for a long voyage
• A messenger sent by the gods to deliver prophecy

Eumaeus says the Phoenician traders arrived with a ship "freighted with gewgaws of all kinds." What are "gewgaws"?

• Precious metals and gemstones
• Weapons and armor for trade
• Showy but cheap trinkets and ornaments
• Exotic spices and rare foods

The text describes Telemachus taking a "doughty spear" from the ship. What does "doughty" mean?

• Extremely heavy and difficult to wield
• Ancient and passed down through generations
• Brave and resolute; showing determined courage
• Made of inferior or poor-quality materials