Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Winter 2023 » Test 2

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Question #1
One of the labors of Heracles was to clean the Augean stables. He accomplishes this in one day with help from:
A.   the goddess Athena
B.   Iolaus, his companion
C.   his father Zeus
D.   a river, which he diverts
Question #2
Both Odysseus and Achilles attempt to avoid fighting in the Trojan War. Achilles’ mother hides her son by disguising him as a:
A.   god
B.   rock
C.   woman
D.   old beggar
Question #3
The Roman Republic grew strong by defeating the Carthaginians and taking control of the Mediterranean. The Roman general who ended the Punic Wars was:
A.   Scipio Africanus
B.   Marc Antony
C.   Julius Ceasar
D.   Ceasar Augustus
Question #4
In The Iliad, the war is going badly for the Greeks because Achilles refuses to fight. His best friend Patroclus encourages the Greek soldiers by entering the battle wearing the:
A.   armor of Athena
B.   armor of Achilles
C.   shield of Heracles
D.   golden fleece
Question #5
The two primal elements that exist at the beginning of the Hebrew creation myth are:
A.   heaven and earth
B.   water and darkness
C.   light and air
D.   day and night
Question #6
According to Hebrew mythology, Yahweh tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. According to Islamic mythology, Allah asks Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael. The Islamic sacrifice is stopped by:
A.   a voice from a burning bush
B.   the parting of the Red Sea
C.   a tribe of people
D.   an angel
Question #7
The early Greek civilization was the Minoan, established on the island of Crete. The was named for the mythical King Minos who supposedly kept a terrible creature in a labyrinth called the:
A.   Hydra
B.   Scylla
C.   Laocoon
D.   Minotaur
Question #8
In The Iliad, Achilles kills Hector and drags his naked body behind his chariot. This is a violation of one of Zeus’s highest laws, which is:
A.   defeated enemies must be treated with respect
B.   unclothed men are an abomination
C.   all who die must be buried
D.   do not dishonor the god of the dead
Question #9
In Greek mythology, the goddess Hera is angry that Zeus has had a child with another woman and sends two snakes to kill baby Herakles in his crib. Herakles lives because:
A.   Zeus stops them
B.   he drinks the blood of Hydra
C.   Apollo twines the snakes around a staff
D.   he strangles the snakes
Question #10
Before Rome became an empire, Tarquinius Superbus ruled harshly. His son Sextus raped a noblewoman named Lucretia, who committed suicide by:
A.   holding her breath
B.   drinking poison
C.   stabbing herself in the heart
D.   allowing a poisonous snake to bite her
Question #11
In Islamic mythology, Hagar is considered equal to Sarah because the faith allows polygamy. Hagar’s son Ishmael is considered superior to Isaac, however, because he is:
A.   from an Arabic mother
B.   not circumcised
C.   born first
D.   from Egypt
Question #12
In The Book of Genesis Chapter 16, Sarai encourages Abraham to "go into my maid; that I may obtain children by her." When her maid Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarai is "despised in her eyes." Sarai reacts by:
A.   forgiving her
B.   circumcising her son, Ishmael
C.   sending her into the desert
D.   dealing harshly with her
Question #13
According to Christian mythology, Jesus is “Christos,” which means “savior,” and a reliever of suffering from Hebrew mythology called the:
A.   Mahatma
B.   Rabbi
C.   Epistle
D.   Messiah
Question #14
Winter happens every year because the earth goddess Demeter is sad that her daughter Persephone must live with her husband Hades. Persephone lives in the underworld for one season because she:
A.   violated her oath to remain a virgin
B.   ate pomegranate seeds
C.   fell in love with Hades
D.   picked a special flower
Question #15
In The Aeneid of Virgil, the harpy predicts that Aeneas will not triumph until he has become so hungry he "eats his tables." What do the "tables" turn out to be?
A.   his own words, written down
B.   mathematical equations
C.   honeycakes topped with fruit
D.   a shield provided by Venus
Question #16
One of the Twelve Titans of Greek mythology is:
A.   Atlas, who holds creation on his shoulders
B.   Gaia, the Mother Goddess
C.   Hestia, protector of home and hearth
D.   Hercules, hero of the Twelve Labors
Question #17
What is known of the life of Jesus is found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Many biblical scholars agree that there was once a fifth biography Jesus that is called the:
A.   Nicaean Creed
B.   Sanhedrin
C.   Q Source
D.   Apocrypha
Question #18
Two people who were important to the early spread of Christianity were Peter, a disciple of Jesus, and Paul, who converted to the faith. Paul's writings make up much of the New Testament in the bible, and are in the form of:
A.   Analysis
B.   Oaths
C.   Epistles
D.   Poetry
Question #19
According to Hebrew mythology, Yahweh commands Abram to circumcise all males in his household, including boys at the age of:
A.   puberty
B.   eight years
C.   eight months
D.   eight days
Question #20
In Greek mythology, the sister and wife of Zeus is considered queen of the gods and goddess of marriage and motherhood. Her name is:
A.   Artemis
B.   Hestia
C.   Athena
D.   Hera
Question #21
The primal elements of Greek mythology include Gaia, the earth, Tartarus, the underworld, and Eros, which is:
A.   the sky
B.   brotherly love
C.   familial love
D.   the sexual urge
Question #22
The Torah is the oldest writing of the Hebrews, consisting of five scrolls. In addition to Hebrew literature, the text of these five scrolls can be found in:
A.   the first books of the New Testament in the bible
B.   the Qu'ran
C.   The Metamorphoses of Ovid
D.   The first books of the Old Testament in the bible
Question #23
In The Iliad of Homer, the goddess Thetis asks the god Hephaestus to make armor for her son Achilles. This same thing happens with the goddess Venus and the god Vulcan in:
A.   the myth of Romulus and Remus
B.   The Odyssey of Homer
C.   The Aeneid of Virgil
D.   The Theogony of Hesiod
Question #24
In The Aeneid of Virgil, the priestess Cassandra warns the Trojans that the Trojan Horse is dangerous. Although she has the gift of prophecy, no one believes her because:
A.   her prophecies have been wrong before
B.   they fear the wrath of Poseidon
C.   the god Apollo has cursed her
D.   the goddess Athena did not give her wisdom
Question #25
In The Iliad of Homer, Paris, prince of Troy, battles one-on-one with Menelaus, husband of Helen. In the fight, Menelaus drags Paris around by the helmet strap. Paris escapes because the goddess Aphrodite:
A.   throws a mist over Menelaus's eyes
B.   asks Zeus to save him
C.   hands him a sword
D.   breaks the helmet strap

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