Book XXII Practice Quiz — The Odyssey
by Homer — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book XXII
Who is the first suitor Ulysses kills, and how?
Antinous, struck by an arrow through the throat while reaching for a gold cup to drink wine.
What does Eurymachus offer Ulysses to stop the killing?
A fine of twenty oxen per man plus ongoing gold and bronze until Ulysses is satisfied.
How does Eurymachus die?
Ulysses shoots an arrow into his breast that lodges in his liver, and he collapses over his table.
Who kills Amphinomus, and how?
Telemachus strikes him from behind with a spear between the shoulders that goes clean through his chest.
What does Melanthius do to help the suitors during the battle?
He sneaks through back passages to the storeroom and brings out twelve shields, helmets, and spears for the suitors.
How does the battle end for the suitors?
Minerva raises her deadly aegis from the rafters, breaking their courage. They flee like maddened cattle and are cut down by Ulysses and his men.
What happens to the twelve disloyal maidservants?
Telemachus hangs them with a ship's cable strung from a bearing-post, refusing to grant them a clean death by the sword.
How does Ulysses respond when the suitors think he killed Antinous by mistake?
He calls them "dogs," declares they have wasted his substance, forced his women servants, and wooed his wife, and tells them they shall die.
How does Telemachus show maturity in Book XXII?
He fights and kills multiple suitors, retrieves armor from the storeroom, intercedes to save Phemius and Medon, and independently decides the punishment of the maidservants.
Why does Ulysses refuse to spare the priest Leiodes?
Because as the suitors' sacrificing priest, Leiodes must have prayed many times that Ulysses would never return and that he himself might marry Penelope.
How does the bard Phemius persuade Ulysses to spare him?
He pleads that he was forced to sing for the suitors, that killing a divinely inspired bard would bring regret, and Telemachus confirms he was coerced.
What is Euryclea's role at the end of the chapter?
She identifies the twelve disloyal maidservants, brings sulphur and fire for purification, and summons the loyal servants to embrace Ulysses.
How does Minerva test Ulysses rather than simply granting victory?
She taunts him about his former prowess at Troy to spur him on, deflects enemy spears, but withholds full intervention to prove his valor before raising the aegis.
How does Book XXII illustrate the Greek concept of xenia (hospitality)?
The suitors' violation of xenia by abusing Ulysses' household is the moral justification for their slaughter — their deaths are presented as divine justice for transgressing sacred guest-host obligations.
What theme does the contrast between the spared and the slain reveal?
The theme of loyalty versus betrayal: Phemius and Medon survive because of their loyalty or coerced service, while Melanthius and the maidservants die for choosing to side with the suitors.
What is the significance of the ritual purification at the chapter's end?
It symbolizes the transition from bloodshed back to sacred order, removing the miasma (ritual pollution) of killing and restoring the household to its proper state.
Why does Ulysses tell Euryclea it is "unholy to vaunt over dead men"?
It reflects the tension between justified violence and moral restraint — even divinely sanctioned killing creates pollution, and excessive celebration risks hubris before the gods.
Identify the epic simile comparing the suitors to fish.
The dead suitors are compared to fish netted from the sea and thrown on a beach to gasp for water until the sun kills them, emphasizing their helplessness.
What is the effect of the dramatic irony when the suitors think Antinous was killed by accident?
The reader knows Ulysses is deliberately launching his revenge, while the suitors remain ignorant that death hangs over every one of them, heightening suspense.
What is apostrophe, and where does it appear in Book XXII?
Apostrophe is direct address to a character by the narrator. Homer addresses Eumaeus directly: "over him did you then vaunt, O swineherd Eumaeus," breaking the narrative frame.
How does the simile of vultures attacking smaller birds function in the battle scene?
It compares Ulysses and his men to vultures swooping on helpless flocking birds, underscoring the suitors' total inability to escape and the predatory nature of the slaughter.
What does "vouchsafe" mean in the context of Ulysses asking if Apollo will vouchsafe him hitting another mark?
To grant or bestow something as a favor or privilege — Ulysses asks whether the god will favor him with another successful shot.
What does "cloisters" refer to in this chapter?
The covered walkways or colonnaded areas surrounding the great hall of Ulysses' palace, where much of the fighting takes place.
What does "miasma" mean in the context of Ulysses purifying the hall?
Ritual pollution or spiritual contamination caused by bloodshed that must be removed through purification rites before normal life can resume.
What does Ulysses' opening declaration about hitting "another mark" foreshadow?
It signals that the archery contest was never about winning Penelope — the next "mark" is the suitors themselves, foreshadowing the imminent slaughter.