Book XX Practice Quiz — The Odyssey
by Homer — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book XX
Where does Odysseus sleep at the beginning of Book XX?
He sleeps in the cloister (entrance hall) on an undressed bullock's hide covered with sheepskins and a cloak thrown over him by Eurynome.
What angers Odysseus as he lies awake at night?
He sees the disloyal maidservants sneaking out of the house, giggling and laughing, to sleep with the suitors.
How does Odysseus calm his rage in Book XX?
He addresses his own heart directly, telling it to "be still" and reminding it that he endured worse when the Cyclops ate his companions yet kept his composure.
What two signs does Odysseus pray for at dawn, and how are they answered?
He asks for a sign from someone waking inside the house and another from outside. Zeus sends a thunderclap from a clear sky, and a miller-woman prays aloud that this will be the suitors' last meal.
Why do the suitors abandon their plot to murder Telemachus?
An eagle carrying a dove flies past on their left (the inauspicious side), and Amphinomus interprets this omen as a warning that the plot will fail.
What does Ctesippus throw at Odysseus during the feast?
He picks up a cow's hoof (heifer's foot) from the meat basket and hurls it at the disguised Odysseus, who dodges it with a grim smile.
What vision does Theoclymenus describe to the suitors?
He sees a shroud of darkness over them, blood dripping from the walls and roof, ghosts filling the courtyard and descending to the underworld, and the sun blotted from the sky.
How does Book XX end?
Penelope listens from her chamber as the narrator ominously warns that the suitors' meal was good and abundant, but the supper to come — laid before them by a goddess and a brave man — will be gruesome.
Who is Philoetius, and what is his role?
Philoetius is Odysseus's loyal cattle herder (stockman) who has faithfully managed the herds since youth. He is moved to tears by the disguised stranger's resemblance to his master.
How does Melanthius treat the disguised Odysseus in Book XX?
Melanthius, the treacherous goatherd, mocks and insults Odysseus, telling him to stop begging around the house and threatening to fight him.
What does Athena (Minerva) tell Odysseus during his sleepless night?
She reassures him that his house, wife, and son are safe, promises her divine protection, and tells him that even fifty bands of enemies could not defeat them together.
What does Penelope pray for when she wakes weeping in the night?
She prays to Artemis (Diana) to strike her dead with an arrow or to let a whirlwind carry her away, preferring death to marriage with a lesser man than Odysseus.
Who is Ctesippus, and why is he significant?
Ctesippus is a wealthy suitor from the island of Same who throws a cow's hoof at Odysseus. His act of violence provokes Telemachus's most forceful speech defending his household.
How does Book XX illustrate the theme of self-restraint (sophrosyne)?
Odysseus repeatedly suppresses his rage — against the disloyal maids and the suitors' abuse — choosing strategic patience over impulsive violence, exemplified by his speech to his own heart.
How is the theme of xenia (hospitality) violated in Book XX?
The suitors abuse Odysseus's household by consuming his resources, insulting his guest (the disguised Odysseus), and Ctesippus throws food at a guest — all serious violations of sacred hospitality norms.
What role do divine omens play in Book XX?
Four omens — Zeus's thunder, the miller-woman's prayer, the eagle with the dove, and Theoclymenus's vision — all confirm that divine justice will punish the suitors, building inevitability toward the climax.
How does Book XX contrast loyalty and betrayal?
The loyal servants Eumaeus (swineherd) and Philoetius (stockman) are contrasted with the treacherous Melanthius (goatherd) and the disloyal maidservants who consort with the suitors.
What epic simile describes Odysseus tossing in bed?
Homer compares Odysseus to a man turning a paunch (sausage casing) full of blood and fat over a hot fire, rotating it side to side to cook it quickly — capturing his physical restlessness.
What simile describes Odysseus's heart growling with anger?
His heart is compared to a bitch with puppies that growls and bares her teeth when she sees a stranger — conveying protective, instinctive rage.
How does dramatic irony function in Book XX?
The suitors feast and mock the "beggar" and the prophet, unaware that the beggar is Odysseus planning their deaths and that Theoclymenus's horrifying vision will literally come true.
What is the effect of the foreshadowing in Book XX's final lines?
The narrator breaks from the action to warn that the suitors' supper will be gruesome, explicitly stating that a goddess and a brave man will serve it — building dread and dramatic tension.
What does "cloister" mean as used in Book XX?
In this context, cloister refers to a covered walkway or colonnade surrounding a courtyard — the entrance area of Odysseus's palace where he sleeps.
What is a "hecatomb" as mentioned in Book XX?
A hecatomb is a large-scale animal sacrifice to the gods, originally meaning the slaughter of one hundred oxen. Here it refers to the public sacrifice the Achaeans carry through the city.
What does "Sardinian fashion" mean when Odysseus smiles?
It describes a grim, bitter, or sardonic smile — one that expresses contempt rather than pleasure. The word "sardonic" itself derives from this Homeric usage.
Who says "Heart, be still" and in what context?
Odysseus says this to his own heart when he is enraged at seeing the disloyal maidservants. He reminds himself that he endured worse in the Cyclops's cave and must exercise patience.
Who declares "I am grown up now to the knowledge of good and evil"?
Telemachus says this to Ctesippus after the suitor throws a cow's hoof at Odysseus, asserting that he is no longer a helpless child and will defend his household.
Who says "the sun is blotted out of heaven, and a blighting gloom is over all the land"?
The seer Theoclymenus speaks these words as part of his prophetic vision during the feast, describing supernatural darkness and horror that foreshadow the suitors' slaughter.