Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Summer 2022 » Quiz 2

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Question #1
At the beginning of the EPIC OF GILGAMESH, the Babylonian hero Gilgamesh, who is part-divine and part-human,
A.   behaves with extreme arrogance and is often impetuous and self-centered
B.   must kill the Bull of Ishtar in order to become ruler of Uruk
C.   is a humble servant of the ruler of Uruk
D.   relies on the wild man Enkidu to fight the enemies of Uruk because Gilgamesh is afraid of death
Question #2
Hinduism, perhaps the oldest living religion on earth, relies on principles that include the following after-death scenario:
A.   reincarnation of the soul into another human form based on the accumulation of good karma
B.   transmigration of the atman into another life form only as punishment for not following the dharma
C.   transmigration of the atman into another life form based upon the karma an individual earns through following their specific dharma
D.   judgment by Vishnu after an individual has died, and then extinction of the soul into Brahman
Question #3
When Ishtar tries to seduce Gilgamesh he enrages her
A.   when he finds her alone with Enkidu and orders her to be exiled from Uruk
B.   when he mistakes her for a common slave and orders her to leave his palace
C.   when he rejects her advances and points out to her how she destroyed her previous lovers
D.   by threatening to have Enkidu kill her
Question #4
Gilgamesh returns to Uruk as a changed man, and realizes
A.   because he lost the magic plant, Enkidu cannot be brought back to life
B.   that all mortals, including himself, will eventually die, but their great deeds will insure their names are remembered
C.   the Utnapishtim betrayed Gilgamesh in order to prevent him from gaining immortality
D.   the gods do not care about mortals, so no one needs to worship them anymore
Question #5
In the RAMAYANA, Rama is portrayed as the human defender of ideals, especially
A.   dharma : righteousness and duty - moral principles of behavior
B.   artha: material prosperity
C.   maksa: liberation of the soul through moderation and discipline
D.   varna: conduct according to the strict caste system
Question #6
After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes on a quest
A.   to find Utnapishtim in a search for immortality, because Gilgamesh is afraid of death
B.   to find a treasure hidden in the Garden of the Gods
C.   to defeat the Scorpion-Man and gain eternal life
D.   to rescue Ishtar, because he needs her help to bring Enkidu back to life
Question #7
Shunned by Rama, Sita undergoes the fire ordeal,
A.   but Rama is later told she deceived him and did not enter the fire
B.   but Lakshmana puts out the flames and spares her life
C.   but she is spared from the flames because she is pure
D.   because Rama promises he will take her away with him if she survives the flames
Question #8
In the Prose Edda the High One states that the strongest of all gods and men is
A.   Baldr
B.   Thor
C.   Loki
D.   Odin
Question #9
The stories of King Arthur are connected to the Age of Chivalry, a time
A.   when aristocratic men earned status as heroes by choosing a life of poverty and religious service
B.   when men could become knights only after first swearing never to get married
C.   when only a nobleman could qualify for knighthood after training first as a page and then as a squire
D.   when only the king could elevate his personal servants to the status of knights
Question #10
Loki arranges Baldr's death when he
A.   frees the Midgard Serpent, which then poisons Baldr with its venom
B.   hands the blind Hod a piece of mistletoe and tells him to throw it at Baldr
C.   deceives Frigg into believing Baldr is plotting against the Aesir and therefore must be killed
D.   disguises himself as a Valkyrie in order to lead Baldr to his death
Question #11
When finally caught, Loki is bound up in a cave and tortured by venom dripping from a serpent;
A.   when Baldr's ghost comes to him and haunts him, Loki shivers and causes blizzards on the earth
B.   his wife, however, collects the venom in a bowl so she can use it to poison the gods
C.   whenever some of the venom drips on him he writhes in pain, causing an earthquake
D.   but once each winter, Odin allows him his freedom
Question #12
In Western Europe, "courtly love" included such conventions as
A.   a male lover's worship of a woman, doing brave deeds for her and remaining faithful to her even if she did not return his love
B.   payments to the ruling monarch in order for a nobleman to have the privilege of choosing his own wife
C.   engaged couples from noble families being allowed to have sex before marriage
D.   a noblewoman's promise of faithfulness to her chosen lover, even if he were married to someone else
Question #13
Stories of tricksters, seen as culture heroes, frequently contain elements that
A.   show that being a coward or deceitful can bring great reward
B.   highlight the trickster's use of magic and/or deceit in order to get what he wants
C.   serve as examples to the audience of what will happen to them if they break the rules of society
D.   make reference to outsiders, mocking them and making them the trickster's victims
Question #14
In "The Ant's Burden," Anansi and his son, Kweku Tsin,
A.   are spiders and farmers
B.   are ants and farmers
C.   are spiders and fishermen
D.   are ants and fishermen
Question #15
In the excerpt from the text, the Holy Grail was said to be
A.   the bowl used by Pilate to wash his hands after sentencing Jesus to death
B.   the cup used by Jesus at the last supper with his disciples
C.   a sacred chalice that supposedly belonged to Mary Magdalene and was found by the Templars when they invaded Jerusalem
D.   a goblet stolen from the Temple of Solomon by the Romans
Question #16
After Kweku Tsin uses two little sticks from the hunchback dwarf, Anansi
A.   steals his son's sticks and beats the dwarf until he gives him water
B.   makes the dwarf his prisoner until he promises to give him water
C.   forces his son to give him the water he got from the dwarf
D.   takes two big sticks and beats the dwarf so badly he kills him
Question #17
As punishment for his behavior, Anansi is condemned to carry a box on his head forever, but he
A.   makes an ant carry the box back to the king, who gets angry and kills the ant
B.   tricks an ant into holding it for a while, and then he runs away, leaving the ant to carry the burden
C.   weaves a web around an ant and threatens to kill him if the ant does not take the box and carry it himself
D.   leaves the box in his son's field, and his son is then condemned to carry it
Question #18
In "Why They Name the Stories for Anansi," Master King tells Anansi/Nansi he must prove himself worthy of the honor by
A.   getting Yellowtail Snake to capture and kill Blacksnake
B.   bringing Blacksnake to him stretched full-length on a pole
C.   cutting off Blacksnake's tail and bringing it to the palace
D.   turning Blacksnake into a pig
Question #19
Blacksnake repeatedly avoids the traps set by Anansi and slithers off with the bait, a
A.   cow
B.   pig
C.   chicken
D.   sheep
Question #20
Anansi finally succeeds in tricking Blacksnake by claiming
A.   that everyone in Master King's yard was saying Yellowtail Snake was longer than Blacksnake
B.   that Master King's snake was longer than both Yellowtail Snake and Blacksnake
C.   that Master King had ordered both Yellowtail Snake and Blacksnake to be measured, and the longer one would be rewarded
D.   that Yellowtail Snake had convinced Master King that Blacksnake was much smaller than he was

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