Book XVI Quiz — The Odyssey

Where are Odysseus and Eumaeus when Telemachus arrives at the beginning of Book XVI?

• At the palace in Ithaca
• At Eumaeus's hut in the countryside
• On the shore where the Phaeacians landed Odysseus
• At the farm of Laertes

How does Odysseus know that someone familiar is approaching before Telemachus enters?

• He hears someone calling out a greeting
• The dogs fawn on the visitor instead of barking
• Athena sends him a vision
• He sees Telemachus through the window

What does Athena use to transform Odysseus's appearance?

• A magic potion
• Her golden wand
• A divine cloak of invisibility
• The mist of the gods

According to Telemachus, approximately how many suitors are consuming his estate?

• About thirty
• About fifty
• Over one hundred
• Over two hundred

What excuse does Odysseus tell Telemachus to give for removing the weapons from the great hall?

• That the weapons need polishing and repair
• That the smoke has damaged them and armed men might quarrel over wine
• That Penelope ordered them moved for a festival
• That he is selling them to pay the household debts

Which suitor argues against killing Telemachus without first consulting the gods?

• Antinous
• Eurymachus
• Amphinomus
• Medon

How does Penelope learn about the suitors' plot to kill Telemachus?

• Telemachus tells her himself
• The servant Medon overhears and informs her
• Athena warns her in a dream
• Eumaeus brings her the news

What simile does Homer use to describe Odysseus and Telemachus weeping at their reunion?

• Like rivers flooding in spring
• Like eagles or vultures robbed of their young
• Like wounded lions retreating to their den
• Like the ocean mourning the death of a sea god

Did Telemachus immediately believe that the stranger was his father Odysseus?

Did Eumaeus see Athena when she appeared at the hut?

In the text, Telemachus says the suitors waste his estate "without compunction." What does "compunction" mean?

• Hesitation or delay
• A feeling of guilt or moral scruple
• Financial planning
• Legal permission

When Eumaeus calls Odysseus a "suppliant," what does this word mean?

• A traveling merchant
• A person who humbly seeks refuge or protection
• A foreign spy
• A skilled craftsman

Telemachus describes his house as being in the hands of "marauders." What does this word mean?

• Household servants
• People who roam about plundering and stealing
• Elected officials
• Foreign ambassadors